REMINISCENCES  OF 
TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


1901-1926 


BY 

CARDINAL  O’CONNELL 


BOSTON  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 
CHESTNUT  HILL,  MASS. 


mio5 

03/MI 


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REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


REMINISCENCES  OF 
TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 

1901-1926 


By 

CARDINAL  O’CONNELL^* 


BOSTON  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 
CH BSTNUT  HILL.  'MASS. 


BOSTON 

THE  PILOT  PUBLISHING  CO. 
1926 


tJCf )t  JUtitrSfoe  $ree8 

CAMBRIDGE  •  MASSACHUSETTS 
PRINTED  IN  THE  U.S.A. 


64860 


CONTENTS 

Reminiscences  of  Twenty-Five  Years  1 

Letter  of  Pope  33 

Letter  of  President  34 

Letter  of  Governor  35 

Letter  of  Lieutenant-Governor  35 

Letter  of  Mayor  36 

Letter  of  Cardinal  Vannutelli  37 

Letter  of  Cardinal  Merry  del  Val  37 

Letter  of  Cardinal  De  Lai  38 

Letter  of  Cardinal  Van  Rossum  39 

Letter  of  Cardinal  Sbarretti  39 

Letter  of  Cardinal  Dougherty  40 

Letter  of  Cardinal  Sincero  40 

Letter  of  Cardinal  Lucidi  41 

Letter  of  Cardinal  Hayes  41 

Letter  of  Cardinal  Mundelein  41 

Letter  of  Monsignor  Barlassina  42 

Letter  of  Monsignor  Pizzardo  43 

Letter  of  Monsignor  Borgongini-Duca  43 

Letter  of  Archbishop  Curley  44 

Letter  of  Bishop  Heffron  45 

Letter  of  Bishop  Conroy  45 

Letter  of  Bishop  Gallagher  46 


vi  CONTENTS 

Letter  of  Bishop  McGrath  46 

Letter  of  Bishop  Ledvina  48 

Letter  of  Bishop  O’Leary  48 

Letter  of  Bishop  Howard  49 

Letter  of  General  of  Augustinians  50 

Letter  of  General  of  Jesuits  51 

Letter  of  General  of  Oblates  52 

Letter  of  General  of  Passionists  53 

Letter  of  General  of  Redemptorists  54 

Letter  of  Monsignor  Patterson  54 

Jubilee  Message  of  His  Eminence  55 

Sermon  at  Mass  56 

Monsignor  Roche’s  Address  57 

Address  —  Monsignor  Peterson  58 

Presentation  —  Monsignor  Haberlin  60 

Address  of  Mr.  Cunningham  61 

Address  of  His  Eminence  to  Council  and  Knights  62 

Editorials  64 


t 


REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


I 


REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


IT  is  hard  for  me  to  realize  that  twenty-five  years  have 
flown  since  that  lovely  May  morning,  when  in  San 
Giovanni  I  knelt  before  the  great  Cardinal  for  episcopal 
consecration. 

I  can  see  the  beautiful  chapel  crowded  with  a  hushed 
throng  —  my  students  and  my  friends  of  many  nations, 
a  sea  of  kindly  faces.  Beyond  and  above  the  glorious 
altar,  the  gleaming  mosaic  of  the  Corsini  Pope,  and,  in 
front,  the  glowing  robes  of  the  great  Cardinal:  on  his 
right,  Archbishop  Stonor,  the  aged  scion  of  old  English 
noble  stock,  and,  on  the  left,  youthful,  handsome,  calm, 
stood  out  the  figure  of  Archbishop  Merry  del  Val,  just 
over  thirty,  already  famous  for  his  intelligence  and 
perfect  urbaneness,  soon,  very  soon,  to  become  world- 
renowned  as  the  successor  of  Rampolla,  excelling  even 
the  great  Sicilian  in  his  power  of  penetrating  through  the 
glittering  shell  of  diplomacy  into  the  heart  of  deception 
which  styles  itself  statecraft. 

The  picture  rises  to  my  memory  with  all  its  lovely 
local  coloring;  the  aroma  of  the  great  basilica  where  a 
few  years  before  I  had  been  ordained,  the  sussura  of  the 
solemn  ritual  being  carried  on  —  the  perfect  stillness 
and  calm  of  all  present  —  the  balmy  air  of  the  early 
May  morning  —  the  cloudless  sky  —  the  flash  of  the 
sun  through  the  high  grated  windoVs ;  every  detail  of  it 
comes  back  and  thrills  me  now  infinitely  more  than  then, 
when  my  entire  attention  was  riveted  on  the  rubrics  and 
the  ritual,  though  subconsciously  not  a  note  of  the  en¬ 
trancing  scene  escaped  observation. 


2  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


Leo  XIII  had  named  me  to  the  See  of  Portland  and 
he  took  the  most  keen  interest  in  my  consecration. 
When  the  following  morning  I  went  to  the  Vatican  for 
audience,  he  amazed  me  by  his  complete  knowledge  in 
detail  of  the  ceremony  —  who  were  present,  how  beauti¬ 
fully  it  had  gone:  even  the  colazione  in  the  wonderful 
cortile  of  St.  John’s  had  not  escaped  him. 

Frail,  almost  translucent,  his  face  the  color  of  old 
ivory,  his  eye  still  bright  and  penetrating,  his  mind  alert, 
missing  nothing  —  how  I  venerated  him  —  how  the 
world  admired  him;  and  how  soon  it  would  all  end  for 
him,  though  the  memory  of  his  pontificate  will  live  for 
ages.  The  great  Leo  —  he  had  been  my  patron  and 
friend  from  the  first  day  I  came,  timid  and  cold  with 
awe,  a  young,  inexperienced  nobody,  asking  for  his  bless¬ 
ing  upon  my  rectorship.  He  gave  it  then  in  January  of 
1895  —  mid-winter,  chilly  for  me  without  and  within, 
for  I  knew  nobody  and  came  only  because  I  was  bidden 
to  a  big  post  full  of  difficulty  and  surrounded  by  pitfalls. 

He  must  have  read  my  soul  through,  for  leaning  over 
me  as  I  knelt  he  whispered  very  slowly  and  very  calmly, 
“  Have  no  fear.  It  is  a  hard  task  for  one  so  young,  but  I 
am  always  here ;  come  when  you  need  me.  ’  ’  Then  he  sank 
back  in  his  great  gold  chair  with  such  a  look  of  complete 
exhaustion  that  I  was  terrified.  (That  did  not  prevent 
my  hearing  the  voice  of  Christ  as  ages  ago  He  had  said, 
“Fear  not,  I  am  with  you.”)  Later  I  heard  from  these 
same  hallowed  lips  the  words  I  can  never  forget  — 
“O’Connell,  io  mi  fido  di  voi,”  —  I  have  confidence  in 
you. 

And  so  when  twenty-five  years  ago  he  held  my  hand 
pulsating  with  energy  and  health  in  his  —  so  thin  and 
delicate  and  cold  almost  of  death  —  and  smiling  slipped 
a  great  ring  on  my  finger  and  then  hung  a  jewelled  cross 


REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  3 


on  my  breast,  and  then  like  a  father  whispered  a  confi¬ 
dential  word,  how  could  I  remain  unmoved?  Ah,  well,  I 
came  to  America  to  work  and  when  I  went  back  he  was 
gone,  as  he  told  me  he  surely  would  be;  and  I  see  him 
still  as  last  I  saw  him  —  smiling  encouragement  as  I 
left  him,  saying  again  for  the  last  time  the  same  words 
which  had  spurred  me  on  as  Rector  of  the  College  to  my 
best  efforts  —  words  which  now  after  a  quarter  of  a  cen¬ 
tury  still  ring  in  my  ears,  “  O’Connell,  io  mi  fido  di  voi.” 

For  four  years  as  student  and  six  as  Rector  I  had 
lived  near  one  of  the  great  Popes  of  history.  When  he 
died  in  1903  the  whole  world  sang  his  eulogy.  Leo  was  a 
statesman,  a  scholar.  He  had  inherited  a  hard  position 
from  Pio  Nono,  whose  whole  life  was  passed  amid  the 
turmoil  of  Europe  in  revolution,  and  the  confusion  and 
bitterness  which  accompanied  the  remaking  of  Italy. 

There  had  been  hopes  at  his  election  that  he  would 
pacify  things.  How  could  he,  when  the  whole  peninsula 
was  under  the  heels  of  rabid  anti-clericals  and  the  most 
irreligious  masonic  leaders?  A  certain  modus  vivendi 
was  the  most  he  could  achieve  under  such  intolerable 
conditions  —  and  even  that  required  a  miracle  of  tact 
and  restraint. 

Rut  Italy’s  loss  was  the  gain  of  the  world  —  intel¬ 
lectual  and  social.  For  turning  his  attention  beyond  the 
Alps  and  over  the  seas  he  penetrated  with  the  most 
searching  analysis  the  causes  of  the  social  conditions 
which  threatened  the  world  with  anarchy  —  and  which, 
falling  just  short  of  that,  ended  at  last  in  the  World  War. 

A  false  philosophy  was  the  real  basis  of  the  trouble  — 
between  master  and  servant  —  people  and  ruler  —  na¬ 
tion  and  nation.  Until  that  was  remedied  it  was  futile 
to  attempt  to  rectify  the  merely  material  side  of  the 
situation  which  already  was  full  of  foreboding. 


4  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 

And  so  were  born  of  the  clearest  mind  of  his  century 
the  great  encyclicals  on  Government,  on  Labor,  on 
Socialism,  on  every  conceivable  subject  which  had  to  do 
with  national  and  international  human  welfare.  They 
are  today  the  textbook  of  true  social  science  and  are  on 
the  desk  of  student  and  professor,  subject  and  ruler. 

What  a  mind  —  ever  youthful,  ever  alert,  always 
clear  as  crystal  and  detached  as  a  hermit,  yet  penetrat¬ 
ing  forever  into  the  very  marrow  of  the  present,  while 
invoking  for  its  solution  the  eternal  principles  without 
which  the  ship  is  rudderless  1 

I  see  him  today  as  I  saw  him  just  twenty-five  years 
ago  —  his  trembling  hand  raised  in  benediction,  his  eyes 
jet  black,  piercing,  his  aged  frame  worn  and  wan,  lean¬ 
ing  far  back  in  the  great  gold  chair,  his  pallid  lips  still 
speaking  words  of  courage  —  “I  am  very,  very  old  — 
and  you  are  all  leaving  me.  Ah,  well,  so  it  must  be.  I 
shall  not  be  here  when  you  return;  so  it  is  not  au  revoir 
this  time,  but  addio.” 

When  next  I  went  back  to  the  Eternal  City  I  found  in 
the  place  of  the  great  Leo,  whose  death  the  whole  world 
had  mourned,  a  kindly  figure  little  known  even  to  the 
Romans,  never  before  seen  by  me  —  the  gentle  Patri¬ 
arch  of  Venice,  Cardinal  Sarto,  who  was  now  Pius  X. 

Accustomed  as  I  had  been  to  meeting  Leo  XIII  with  a 
sentiment  akin  to  awe,  I  was  deeply  moved  by  the 
kindly  familiarity  with  which  the  new  Pope  greeted  me. 
The  difference  both  in  appearance  and  in  temperament 
of  the  two  Pontiffs  could  scarcely  be  wider  apart.  Leo 
was  emaciated,  colorless,  detached,  aloof,  philosophic, 
speculative;  Pius,  hearty,  florid,  solid,  amiable,  prac¬ 
tical,  intimate. 

In  reviewing  the  history  of  the  Papacy  the  student 
will  be  frequently  struck  with  contrasts  like  these  — 


REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  5 


and  if  he  probes  deep  enough  he  will  find  that  these  con¬ 
trasts  are  no  mere  accident.  The  man  of  faith  will  see  in 
these  contrasting  personalities  a  providential  supple¬ 
ment  to  one  another,  that  the  whole  balance  may  be 
kept  even. 

Leo,  the  scholar  and  statesman,  with  a  mind  elevated 
and  farseeing,  just  missed  what  a  closer  observer  of  daily 
fife  would  have  observed  in  the  things  just  about  him. 
While  he  was  busying  himself  superbly  with  the  great 
philosophic  problems  of  the  whole  world,  with  his  vision 
concentrated  upon  the  art  of  government  and  the  basis 
of  philosophic  thought,  he  little  dreamed  that  surrepti¬ 
tiously  and  subtlely,  right  almost  within  sound  of  his 
voice,  was  a  treacherous  enemy  invading  imperceptibly, 
but  very  really,  the  atmosphere  of  the  very  schoolrooms, 
pulpits  and  professorial  chairs.  Slyly  taking  advantage 
of  the  great  Pontiff’s  farsightedness  to  sneak  in,  even  to 
the  sanctuary,  Modernism  began  under  his  very  eyes, 
though  he  saw  it  not,  the  malicious  attack  upon  the  very 
foundations  of  faith. 

Pius  X  was  undoubtedly  called  providentially  to  the 
See  of  Peter  to  meet  this  danger,  this  subtle  menace  face 
to  face;  to  drag  it  out  from  its  hiding  places,  to  expose  it 
for  just  what  it  was,  a  sham  and  a  subterfuge,  and  then, 
like  another  St.  Michael,  to  crush  out  its  venomous  life 
under  the  heel  of  a  merciless  condemnation. 

Leo  XIII  in  the  cloistered  calm  of  Perugia  meditated 
lofty  thoughts  and  profound  principles.  Pius  X,  Bishop 
of  Mantua  and  Patriarch  of  Venice,  found  himself  face 
to  face  with  the  practical  problems  which  confront  the 
Bishop  of  a  busy  See,  requiring  daily  attention  to  irri¬ 
tating  details;  and  when  he  came  to  the  See  of  Peter,  he 
had  learned  well  all  that  the  great  Encyclicals  of  his 
predecessor  could  teach,  but  he  had  besides  that  know- 


6  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


ledge  the  keen  and  practical  outlook  which  had  come  to 
him  as  a  busy  Parish  Priest  and  an  overworked  Bishop 
in  a  very  active  city. 

And  so  it  came  to  pass  that  when  Cardinal  Sarto,  the 
Patriarch,  became  Pius  X,  the  Supreme  Pontiff,  he  had 
an  unclouded  vision  of  what  he  saw  was  before  him  to 
do,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  very  practical  methods  which 
alone  could  achieve  it.  The  story  of  how  he  met  the 
menace  of  Modernism  —  that  synthesis  of  all  the  her¬ 
esies  —  is  now  glorious  history.  Had  Loisey  in  France 
and  Murri  in  Italy  been  allowed  to  scatter  more  widely 
their  plausible  but  utterly  damnable  errors,  academic 
and  social,  in  a  very  short  time  the  whole  student  body 
would  have  been  infected  with  the  plausible  poison  and 
the  whole  field  of  Catholic  action  blighted  by  a  poison¬ 
ous  cockle. 

Both  of  these  men  imagined  that  Pius  X,  the  good 
Parish  Priest,  as  they  so  ironically  styled  him,  would 
busy  himself  about  pious  nothings,  while  they  would  be 
allowed  to  spread  their  poison  freely.  They  little  knew 
the  fibre  of  this  particular  good  Parish  Priest,  whose 
kindliness  and  simplicity  of  soul  they  reckoned  as  lack 
of  scientific  learning  and  amiable  complacency. 

In  a  word,  Modernism  met  God’s  champion  and  went 
down  instantly  to  ignominious  defeat.  The  men  who 
championed  those  plausible  heresies  of  that  day  and 
who,  carried  away  by  the  applause  of  the  Church’s 
enemies,  were  flattered  into  open  contumacy,  within 
three  months  after  the  publication  of  the  great  En¬ 
cyclicals  “  Lamentabili  ”  and  “Pascendi”  of  1907  were 
universally  repudiated  and  today  they  are  utterly  forgot¬ 
ten.  “Deposuit  potentes  de  sede  et  exaltavit  humiles.” 

They  had  spread  the  rumor  all  over  the  whole  world 
that  Pius  X  was  a  kindly  man  who  knew  nothing  of  the 


REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  7 


higher  scientific  principles  of  biblical  criticism.  How 
utterly  and  completely  they  had  deceived  themselves  I 
For  here  was  a  Pontiff  who  was  so  genuine  in  character 
and  soul,  so  absolutely  clear-minded  in  his  faith,  that 
instinctively  he  detected  sham  in  so-called  scientific 
pretenses,  and  unfailingly  cut  straight  to  the  root  of  the 
matter,  and  exposed  their  bluff.  And  so  Modernism  is 
absolutely  and  completely  dead.  It  never  again  will 
have  the  vital  force  to  lift  its  head  within  the  Church 
of  God. 

How  splendid  was  the  motto  that  he  chose,  “Restau- 
rare  omnia  in  Christo  ” !  What  a  gigantic  task  to  face  — 
but  what  absolute  courage,  straight  from  the  heart  of 
Christ  to  his  heart,  steeled  him  to  the  work  before  him! 
He  had  come  to  the  Throne  of  Peter  unknown  not  only 
to  the  world  at  large  but  even  to  Rome :  but  within  a  very 
few  years  the  whole  Catholic  world  realized  that  it  had 
a  chief  shepherd,  holy,  fearless  and  Christlike. 

Run  through  the  list  of  his  achievements  during  the 
eleven  years  of  his  all  too  short  regime  —  the  abolition 
of  the  veto  in  papal  elections  —  a  new  constitution  for 
future  conclaves  —  the  reform  of  Church  music  —  the 
codification  of  Canon  Law  —  the  new  marriage  legisla¬ 
tion  —  the  systematization  of  the  catechism  —  the  re¬ 
form  of  Seminaries  and  education  of  ecclesiastics  —  the 
reform  of  the  Roman  Curia  by  the  Motu  Proprio  “  Sapi- 
enti  Consilio”  —  the  erection  of  an  Oriental  Congrega¬ 
tion  —  the  revision  of  the  Vulgate  —  the  reorganization 
of  “Catholic  Action”  —  the  foundation  of  the  Riblical 
Institute  in  1910  —  the  new  regulations  for  religious 
orders  —  the  reconstruction  of  the  Roman  Curia  —  the 
new  arrangement  of  the  Rreviary  —  the  institute  for  the 
care  of  emigrants  —  the  reorganization  of  suburban  Sees. 
Here  is  a  list  which  will  surprise  many  who  have  been 


8  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


unaware  of  the  tremendous  activities  and  fruitful  results 
of  the  holy  work  done  for  the  Church  by  Pius  X.  And 
who  can  ever  forget  the  overwhelming  wave  of  devotion 
that  swept  over  the  Christian  world  at  the  invitation 
which  Pius  X,  the  Pope  of  the  Eucharist,  sent  out  to  all 
the  faithful  to  receive  as  frequently  as  possible  the  great 
Sacrament  of  Christ’s  love?  And  what  father  or  mother 
will  ever  forget  the  boon  beyond  price  of  the  early  First 
Communion  of  children? 

Again  Pius  X  was  in  the  beginning  supposed  to  have 
no  knowledge  of  what  is  called  diplomacy  or  statecraft. 
Perhaps  some  of  the  diplomats  then  accredited  to 
the  Holy  See,  little  understanding  the  fineness  of  that 
gentle  spirit,  expected  that  soon  he  would  fall  into  the 
diplomatic  pitfall  which  some  of  them  were  sedulously 
digging  around  him.  How  completely  they  had  de¬ 
ceived  themselves!  I  remember  on  one  occasion,  when 
he  was  deeply  disturbed  by  the  situation  in  France,  he 
looked  at  me  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye  and  said,  “They 
say  I  am  no  diplomat  —  well,  I  am  no  diplomat;  but 
they’ll  find  if  they  go  too  far  that  I  am  not  lacking  in 
shrewdness.” 

How  little  a  man  of  his  perfect  simplicity  of  heart  and 
soul  needed  the  futile  shell  of  diplomatic  falsity!  He 
despised  that  and  all  that  it  stood  for.  He  was  Christ’s 
Yicar  who  would  stand  on  that  ground  and  no  other, 
though  all  the  princes  of  the  world  threatened  him. 

But  also  he  well  knew  that  at  his  side  was  a  young 
knight  of  God’s  calling,  his  Secretary  of  State.  By 
heredity,  training  and  experience,  there  was  no  one  who 
could  teach  anything  that  was  worth  knowing  of  diplo¬ 
macy  to  Raphael  Merry  del  Val,  who  had  spent  his 
whole  fife  in  the  courts  of  Europe  and  had  lived  for 
years  within  the  Vatican  Palace  itself.  Here  truly  was  a 


REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  9 


wonderful  and  most  providential  combination  —  Pius, 
firmly  grounded  in  perfect  faith,  panoplied  in  the  fear¬ 
lessness  of  God’s  messenger,  with  a  heart  bursting  with 
sympathy  for  all  who  suffered,  nations  and  individuals, 
with  a  craving  to  be  of  help  and  of  service  to  all,  nations 
and  individuals  alike;  and  at  his  side,  youthful,  keen  in 
the  knowledge  of  every  diplomatic  principle  and  practise, 
tactful,  laborious,  patient  almost  to  a  fault,  with  the 
affection  of  a  devoted  son  to  the  dearest  of  fathers, 
Cardinal  Merry  del  Yal  stood  between  his  holy  master 
and  the  diplomatic  world,  a  defense  and  a  help.  And 
very  soon  to  their  chagrin  the  diplomatic  world  in  Rome 
and  in  every  capital  of  the  world  changed  their  esti¬ 
mates  and  often  found  to  their  cost  that,  where  sacred 
principle  was  concerned,  they  would  never  be  allowed 
either  to  evade  obligations  or  by  malevolent  opposition 
to  obtain  their  unjust  purposes. 

The  cynics  had  termed  Pius  X  the  Religious  Pope, 
as  if  it  were  a  sort  of  slur  for  a  Pope  to  be  religious ;  but 
the  strange  thing  about  his  regime  was  that  from  the 
very  start  he  was  compelled  by  force  of  circumstances  to 
enter  the  field  of  diplomatic  action.  We  all  knew  that 
for  years  France  was  behaving  like  a  spoiled  child.  I 
mean,  of  course,  the  government  of  France,  mostly 
anti-clerical  and  masonic.  Roth  Leo  and  Rampolla  had 
an  almost  overweaning  affection  for  France,  and  so  they 
let  many  things  pass  with  the  hope  that  time  would 
remedy  them.  Rut  time  cannot  in  itself  remedy  the  bit¬ 
terness  of  a  hatred  that  is  almost  satanic,  and  so  things 
grew  from  bad  to  worse.  See  after  See  was  vacated  by 
the  death  of  a  Rishop,  and  the  French  Government 
blocked  every  attempt  to  fill  these  vacant  Sees  agree¬ 
ably  to  the  Holy  See.  The  actions  of  her  official  repre¬ 
sentatives  in  Rome  were  sometimes  scandalously  spite- 


10 


REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


ful.  It  was  perfectly  clear  to  everybody  that  it  was 
the  deliberate  intention  of  official  France  to  break  the 
Concordat,  exile  the  religious,  and  rob  them  of  their 
property.  Several  smoke  screens  were  sent  out  from 
the  Quai  D’Orsay,  the  purpose  of  which,  of  course,  was 
to  obscure  the  real  issue. 

By  a  series  of  exhibitions  that  were  simply  puerile, 
they  attempted  to  involve  the  Holy  See  in  various 
minor  issues,  only  to  cloak  the  great  issue  which  was 
separation  and  spoliation.  That,  I  repeat,  had  gone  on 
for  years  during  the  pontificate  of  Leo  with  Rampolla 
as  Secretary  of  State.  Both  had  borne,  with  a  patience 
which  had  gone  beyond  all  limits,  injury  and  insults  from 
France  —  I  am  talking  of  those  who  represented  France 
civilly  —  so  that  when  Leo  XIII  died  this  whole  bane¬ 
ful  inheritance  faced  the  new  Pontiff. 

What  was  to  be  the  policy  of  the  new  Pope  and  the 
new  Secretary  of  State?  Well,  of  course,  in  the  great 
issue  there  was  no  question  of  policy  for  the  Holy  See  — 
it  was  only  a  question  of  showing  to  the  world  the  con¬ 
trast  between  straightforward  honesty  of  principle  and 
a  flagrant  breach  of  good  faith.  In  the  matter  of  pre¬ 
serving  diplomatic  relations  at  any  cost,  Pius  X  and 
Cardinal  Merry  del  Val  were  decidedly  not  of  the  mind 
of  Leo  and  Rampolla.  There  are  some  rights  and  duties 
of  Church  and  Pope  which  no  earthly  power  may  be 
allowed  to  question,  much  less  usurp.  They  are  God- 
given  and  must  be  defended  at  all  costs.  That  settled 
the  question  in  principle.  If  diplomatic  relations  had  to 
be  broken  on  that  score,  neither  Pius  X  nor  his  Secre¬ 
tary  of  State  would  ever  lift  one  finger  to  prevent  the 
breach,  though  they  would  be  willing  to  avert  that 
breach,  if  possible,  by  long-suffering  and  patience. , 

The  breach  came  as  it  had  to  come,  and  we  know  now 


REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  11 


that  nothing  better  could  have  happened  for  the  re¬ 
ligion  of  France.  Then  came  the  question  of  the  ac¬ 
ceptance  of  lay  control  in  the  matter  of  the  Churches, 
“Associations  Cultuelles.”  To  the  Holy  See  it  was 
perfectly  evident  that  that  was  only  a  clever  scheme  to 
sow  schism  in  the  Church  of  France.  There  Pius  X  stood 
firm  as  the  Alps.  Had  he  wavered  or  yielded,  there  is 
now  no  question  but  that  catastrophe  would  have 
followed  quick  and  fatal. 

I  saw  a  good  deal  just  at  that  time  both  of  Pius  X  and 
Cardinal  Merry  del  Val,  and  I  can  never  forget  how, 
amid  the  rumors  of  impending  disaster,  they  remained 
calm  and  imperturbable.  They  had  done  their  duty,  God 
would  do  the  rest  —  as  He  surely  did!  At  once  there 
was  a  strengthening  of  the  bonds  of  the  Episcopacy  all 
over  France  and  a  unity  of  Priest  and  people  which  had 
not  been  witnessed  in  a  whole  century,  with  the  result 
that  religion  thrived  gloriously.  Robbed  of  their  mate¬ 
rial  possessions,  the  clergy  and  the  laity  vied  with  each 
other  in  zeal  and  generosity,  and  God  blessed  their 
efforts  in  a  thousand  ways. 

I  see  now  the  reason  of  Pius’  perfect  calm.  I  had  the 
temerity,  as  a  young  Bishop,  to  open  the  subject  with 
him.  I  knew  something  of  what  the  sentiment  was  in 
America  about  the  whole  affair  and  I  told  him  that  we 
were  all  praying  for  him  and  the  Church  and  for  France 
as  well,  and  that,  of  course,  at  the  end  the  Holy  See 
must  triumph  in  so  righteous  a  cause,  and  France  with 
a  change  of  spirit  would  come  back. 

He  smiled  cheerily,  and  then  a  look  of  deep  melan¬ 
choly  spread  over  his  features  and  he  said,  “They  are 
making  it  very  hard  for  Merry.  They  are  doing  every¬ 
thing  they  can  to  annoy  him  and  to  belittle  him;  but  I 
know  him,  I  trust  him  and  I  love  him.  God  surely  will 


12  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


not  abandon  to  his  enemies  one  so  faithful  as  he  is  to 
me.”  And  then  rousing  himself  back  to  his  old  sense  of 
gentle  humor  he  said,  “Well,  we  must  do  the  best  we  can 
—  the  rest  is  in  the  hands  of  God.  And  now  tell  me 
about  your  Seminary”  —  for  he  was  deeply  interested 
in  the  work  of  seminaries.  When  I  had  told  him,  he 
said  to  me  smiling,  “So  I  see  you  have  your  problems 
as  well  as  I.  These  troublesome  professors,  still  playing 
with  the  fringe  of  Modernism,  must  not  be  tolerated  in 
training  Levites.  You,  and  you  alone,  under  me  are 
responsible  for  your  Seminary.  Go  back  and  assume 
that  responsibility  without  fear  or  favor.” 

This  is  an  epitome,  but  it  is  enough  to  show  the  per¬ 
fect  straightforwardness  of  a  holy  Pope  who  never 
minded  the  blows  aimed  at  himself,  but  who  was  aroused 
to  holy  indignation  at  those  aimed  at  his  generals. 

The  air  was  filled  with  troubles  and  difficulties  during 
his  whole  pontificate.  They  came  from  within  as  well 
as  from  without.  I  know  them  as  few  do  or  can.  Of  the 
internal  ones  I  have  nothing  to  say  now,  though  doubt¬ 
less  in  the  process  of  the  canonization  of  that  holy  Pope 
they  will  be  all  unfolded  in  due  time.  Here  and  now  I 
want  to  speak  only  of  the  external  ones.  They  seemed 
larger  in  a  way,  though  they  were  oftener  more  easily 
dealt  with  than  the  others. 

For  instance,  there  was  Germany,  which  during  the 
end  of  the  pontificate  of  Pope  Pius  X  was  seized  with  a 
veritable  mania  of  putting  obstacles  in  the  way  of  every¬ 
thing  he  said  or  did. 

If  one  reads  calmly  now  the  admirable  Encyclical  on 
St.  Charles  Borromeo,  it  is  impossible  to  find  a  reason 
for  any  shadow  of  a  protest  from  the  German  Govern¬ 
ment.  Yet  it  caused  one  continuous  stream  of  protests 
from  a  Protestant  government,  which,  of  course,  had 


REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  13 


nothing  to  do  with  the  case.  Not  a  decree  or  ruling  for 
the  Universal  Church  was  issued  from  the  Holy  See, 
from  that  prescribing  the  age  of  children  at  their  First 
Communion  to  the  anti-Modernist  oath  but  the  officials 
of  Germany  rushed  in  to  make  things  disagreeable. 

I  remember  once,  just  at  that  time,  going  to  see 
Cardinal  Merry,  as  the  German  Ambassador  was  leav¬ 
ing.  The  representative  of  Germany  made  his  exit 
talking  in  a  harsh  loud  tone,  in  which  there  was  not  the 
slightest  trace  of  diplomatic  courtesy.  The  Cardinal 
politely  bowed  him  into  the  next  room  where  I  was,  and 
then  I  entered,  to  be  received  with  the  most  instant 
cordiality  and  kindness,  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 
And  we  talked  as  we  always  did  in  the  manner  of  friends 
about  everything  but  the  diplomacy  of  Germany.  And 
my  admiration  for  him  grew  correspondingly  in  leaps 
and  bounds,  for  I  knew  that  every  day  of  his  life  he  was 
facing  difficulties  before  and  behind  with  a  calm  that 
must  have  come  to  him  from  contact,  deep  and  intimate, 
with  that  saint  of  God,  Pius  X. 

Even  Spain,  Catholic  Spain,  seemed  to  join  in  the 
procession  for  several  years.  Canalejas,  the  Prime 
Minister,  kept  throwing  in  objections  to  this  and  to 
that,  and  attempting  to  raise  questions  of  the  validity 
of  the  Concordat.  The  Spanish  Ambassador  was  called 
home  and  that  condition  had  to  be  faced  and  settled  as 
it  was  finally. 

In  1910  the  Portuguese  Revolution  broke  out,  followed 
by  the  bitterest  sort  of  persecution  of  everything  ap¬ 
pertaining  to  religion  in  Portugal.  Again  the  greatest 
patience  was  observed  by  Pius  X  and  his  Secretary  of 
State.  Nevertheless,  diplomatic  relations  were  broken 
and  the  Portuguese  Legation  abolished.  How  deeply  the 
clouds  were  hanging  all  that  time  over  the  Vatican  and 


14  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


those  within  it!  Yet  occasionally  there  appeared,  if  only 
for  a  few  days,  a  hopeful  light.  The  Concordat  which 
Cardinal  Merry  del  Yal  drew  up  with  a  representative  of 
Servia  just  at  the  end  of  the  pontificate  of  Pope  Pius  X 
was  a  most  remarkable  document  in  every  way,  securing 
to  the  Holy  See  the  most  agreeable  and  useful  conces¬ 
sions  on  the  part  of  the  Servian  Government. 

Italy,  of  course,  had  been  for  years  a  constant  source 
of  difficulty.  The  whole  peninsula  was  flooded  with 
masonry  and  anti-clericalism  and  socialism. 

Nathan,  the  Mayor  of  Rome,  added  insult  to  injury  in 
a  flagrant  and  violent  and  insulting  speech  aimed  at  the 
holy  Pontiff  and  the  Holy  See,  which  he  delivered  at  the 
Porta  Pia,  September  20,  1910. 

That  was  the  climax  of  offense,  to  which  Pius  X  an¬ 
swered  with  a  loftiness  of  spirit  and  a  fearlessness  of  soul 
which  even  his  enemies  were  forced  to  admire;  and  from 
that  day  the  wave  of  anti-clericalism  and  masonry  began 
to  roll  back  upon  themselves. 

Pius  X  warned  them  that  the  whole  Catholic  world 
would  be  outraged  and  would  find  its  way  to  rebuke 
Nathan’s  gross  insult.  It  was  a  true  prophecy  and  the 
fulfillment  of  that  prophecy  we  are  seeing  today,  when 
anti-clericals  and  masonic  influence  are  posted  all  over 
Italy  as  enemies  of  the  country  to  be  detested  and  ab¬ 
horred.  Certainly  it  was  a  wonderful  thing  to  hear  the 
head  of  the  Italian  Government  today  proclaim,  “We 
are  a  Catholic  nation;  secret  societies  have  no  place  in 
this  nation!” 

And  so,  amid  difficulties  and  trials  of  every  kind  and 
from  every  quarter,  the  gentle  Pius  worked  and  prayed ; 
and,  when  at  last  the  Great  War  broke  out,  his  Christlike 
soul  entered  upon  its  final  agony.  As  he  saw  death 
slowly  approaching,  with  universal  war  raging  all  about 


REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  15 


him,  he  wept  to  see  such  universal  folly  seize  upon 
Europe  which  he  had  loved  and  served  so  well.  With  all 
the  strength  that  remained  to  him  he  implored  the  na¬ 
tions  to  stop  and  think  of  all  the  misery  they  were  about 
to  create,  all  the  horrors,  all  the  frightful  losses,  which 
war  would  certainly  inflict  upon  civilization  which  now 
seemed  staggering  to  a  fall  —  but  alas,  without  avail. 
He  could  do  no  more.  His  tender  heart  was  broken. 
Around  his  deathbed  were  the  representatives  of  many 
nations,  weeping  like  stricken  children,  and  beside  him 
stood  his  faithful  Secretary  of  State  in  silence  —  but 
each  looking  at  the  other  with  affection  and  perfect 
trust.  Between  them  no  further  words  were  necessary. 
And,  of  course,  they  could  speak  none.  The  holy  Pontiff 
breathed  his  last,  leaving  a  memory  of  holiness  to  all  the 
world,  and  to  his  noble  and  faithful  Secretary  the  rich 
inheritance  of  a  memory  that  is  ineffaceable. 

I  saw  him  only  a  month  before  his  death.  I  had  just 
assisted  at  the  ceremony  of  the  opening  of  the  great 
Cloaca  constructed  by  my  orders  under  the  historic 
basilica  of  San  Clemente.  He  was  looking  very,  very 
tired.  He  wanted  news  about  the  old  basilica  and  the 
work  I  had  done  there,  and  he  said  to  me  with  his  dear 
old  smile,  “And  what  have  they  done  for  you  for  all  you 
have  done  for  them?”  I  said,  “Holy  Father,  they  have 
erected  a  tablet  in  memory  of  that  work  and  my  name  is 
engraved  upon  it.  So,  Holy  Father,  even  Rome  will  not 
be  allowed  to  forget  me.” 

“Troppo  poco  —  that  was  all  too  little;  you  have 
saved  the  ancient  basilica  —  of  course  Rome  cannot 
forget  you.” 

He  seemed  so  weary  that  I  rose  to  leave  him  alone; 
and  he  arose  too  and  with  an  expression  I  can  never  for¬ 
get  in  those  wonderful  dear  eyes  of  his  (Irish  eyes  I  used 


16  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


to  tell  him  jokingly)  he  kissed  me  on  both  cheeks,  not 
formally,  but  affectionately.  I  knelt  and  kissed  the  hem 
of  his  garment,  the  garment  of  a  saint.  I  never  saw  him 
again.  From  that  day  to  this  I  have  prayed  to  him  as  a 
friend  who  is  a  friend  of  God. 

To  the  saintly  Pius  succeeded  Benedict  XY.  The 
story  of  his  pontificate  is  the  story  of  the  war  which  need 
not  here  be  told  at  length.  He  was  not  spared  the  trials 
which  seem  to  be  inherent  with  the  holy  office  of  Christ’s 
Vicar.  He  steadfastly  maintained  the  utmost  impar¬ 
tiality  between  all  the  nations.  The  best  proof  of  it  is 
that  each  in  turn  attacked  him  for  favoring  the  other 
side.  Step  by  step  he  followed  the  nations  in  their  awful 
round  of  warfare.  And  both  he  and  his  able  Secretary  of 
State,  Cardinal  Gasparri,  were  tireless  in  their  efforts  to 
bring  back  peace  and  good  will  to  earth.  Even  amid  the 
horrors  of  external  warfare,  the  anti -clericals  could  not 
desist  from  the  most  shameful  campaign  of  calumny  and 
hatred.  But  it  was  the  last  kick  of  a  dying  ass.  Under 
Cardinal  Gasparri’s  foresighted  directions  the  Catholics 
of  Italy  were  again  taking  their  place  in  the  fife  of  the 
Nation. 

The  Popular  Party  arose  and  for  a  time  seemed  to 
render  good  service.  But  after  a  while  that  too  became 
involved  in  such  a  way  that  it  could  be  no  longer  even 
indirectly  approved.  The  Methodists  attempted  ob¬ 
struction  and  defamation,  and  for  a  time  it  seemed  that 
they  had  joined  hands  with  the  worst  of  the  anti¬ 
clericals.  But  just  then  the  Knights  of  Columbus  began 
their  great  and  glorious  work  for  the  Roman  youth,  and 
this  served  as  an  offset  to  the  malicious  interference  both 
of  the  Methodists  and  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  As¬ 
sociation  in  Rome,  both  of  which  seemed  to  have  entered 
into  a  vicious  rivalry  of  offense  to  the  faith  of  Catholics 


REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  17 


under  the  very  shadow  of  St.  Peter’s.  The  Knights  of 
Columbus  are  still  continuing  their  glorious  work  which 
is  bound  to  bear  abundant  fruits. 

Cardinal  Gasparri  by  most  extraordinary  tactfulness 
succeeded  in  bringing  back  many  delegations  of  the 
different  nations  to  be  represented  at  the  Holy  See. 
Great  Britain  led  the  way,  and  during  the  pontificate  of 
Benedict  XV  the  number  of  states  having  diplomatic 
relations  with  the  Holy  See  increased  from  twelve  to 
twenty-five.  Some  of  them  have  given  abundant 
trouble  since  their  arrival,  but  the  patience  of  Cardinal 
Gasparri  seems  to  be  limitless.  To  his  honorable  ac¬ 
count,  under  the  initiative  of  Pius  X,  is  to  be  credited  the 
complete  codification  of  Canon  Law.  He  is  a  man  of 
wonderful  erudition  and  completely  versed  in  the  know¬ 
ledge  of  diplomatic  practise,  and,  of  course,  much  of  the 
success  of  what  Benedict  XV  accomplished  was  due  un¬ 
questionably  to  the  ability  and  the  keen  perception  of 
his  Secretary  of  State,  Cardinal  Gasparri. 

The  confusions  arising  within  the  domain  of  the 
Popular  Party  troubled  greatly  the  last  months  of  the 
pontificate  of  Benedict  XV.  But,  when  all  is  said,  the 
pontificate  of  Benedict  XV  was  in  the  designs  of  Provi¬ 
dence  an  interlude. 

That  brief  interlude  ended  in  the  election  of  Cardinal 
Ratti  who  then  became  Pius  XI. 

In  him  God  has  raised  up  a  champion  as  learned  as 
Leo,  as  calm  and  peaceful  of  mind  and  heart  as  Pius  X. 
His  career  seems  little  short  of  the  miraculous  interven¬ 
tion  of  Providence.  He  is  the  Pope  of  today.  I  mean  by 
that,  he  is  precisely  the  sort  of  Pontiff  that  this  particu¬ 
lar  age  needs.  He  has  no  faction  nor  party.  He  is  liter¬ 
ally  the  Father  of  all  the  Faithful.  He  has  faced  the  con¬ 
ditions  which  he  inherited  with  the  calm,  irresistible 


18  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


exhibition  of  assurance,  humble,  yet  confident,  which 
seems  to  be  a  part  of  his  whole  character. 

The  whole  world  is  still  crying  for  peace  after  the 
Great  War  which  upset  all  values  except  the  eternal, 
spiritual  ones.  He  has  taken  as  his  motto  the  prophetic 
one,  “The  peace  of  Christ  in  the  reign  of  Christ,”  and 
little  by  little  the  world  is  beginning  to  understand  the 
loftiness  of  his  purpose  and  the  calm  perseverance  of  his 
ways. 

During  these  first  years  of  his  pontificate  he  has  made 
a  profound  impression  upon  all  those  who  have  come 
near  him.  His  zeal  is  untiring  —  not  in  leaps  and 
bounds,  but  in  its  constant  persevering  action. 

Italy  especially  seems  to  understand  at  last  that  the 
Pope  is  its  greatest  and  best  friend.  He  has  met  every 
problem  with  the  honesty  of  a  perfectly  open  mind.  He 
is  not  easily  swayed  by  words,  but  he  has  a  profound 
intuition  for  truth.  The  last  time  I  saw  him  was  when 
I  went  with  my  pilgrimage  for  the  observance  of  the 
Holy  Year  last  March.  Notwithstanding  his  tremen¬ 
dous  labors  and  cares,  he  seemed  to  me  stronger  and 
brighter  than  when  he  ascended  the  chair  of  Peter. 
Genial,  kindly,  considerate,  patient;  how  could  I  help 
feeling  that  here  was  the  successor  of  my  dear  Pius  X? 
Not  a  single  one  of  our  Pilgrims  but  came  away  from 
Rome  with  the  most  genuine  sentiments  of  filial  affec¬ 
tion  for  him.  His  very  simplicity  made  him  even 
greater  in  their  eyes.  At  my  final  audience  as  he  em¬ 
braced  me  I  really  could  not  help  whispering  in  his  ear, 
“How  your  Holiness  reminds  me  of  Pius  X.  I  know 
that  his  intercession  will  help  you  in  all  your  great  work 
for  God’s  Church.” 

These  are  the  four  great  Popes  under  whose  holy 
leadership  I  have  been  privileged  to  work  as  a  humble 


REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  19 


Bishop  for  now  twenty-five  long  years,  which,  as  I  look 
back  over  them,  have  been  certainly  teeming  with  work 
and  effort,  with  trial  and  consolation,  with  honors  be¬ 
yond  my  deserts  and  with  a  sense  of  unworthiness  known 
only  to  God. 

These  Sovereign  Pontiffs  —  Leo  XIII  —  Pius  X  — 
Benedict  XY  —  Pius  XI  —  all  of  whom  I  have  known 
well,  most  of  them  intimately,  were  all  truly  remarkable 
men,  differing  in  personal  traits,  but  akin  in  all  the  things 
which  really  mattered  —  holiness  of  life,  complete  devo¬ 
tion  to  their  office,  and  untiring  labor  for  the  welfare  of 
the  whole  world. 

They  were  each  in  his  own  way  both  good  and  great  — 
Leo  in  academic  wisdom  and  diplomatic  skill  —  Pius  X 
in  the  unerring  instinct  of  the  holy  priest  for  the  salva¬ 
tion  of  souls,  and  utter  fearlessness  toward  the  enemies 
of  God  —  Benedict  in  his  keen  perception  of  inter¬ 
national  problems  when  the  world  was  in  chaos  —  Pius 
XI  in  the  imperturbable  calm  of  a  soul  close  to  the  heart 
of  Christ  and  a  mind  stored  with  the  wisdom  of  the 
centuries.  *  ;  t 

What  a  series  of  men  —  the  pride  of  the  Church  — 
the  glory  of  Italy  —  the  fine  flower  of  Christian  man¬ 
hood  !  What  a  privilege  and  honor  to  have  known  them, 
to  have  served  under  them  and  to  have  labored  with 
them  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  welfare  of  humanity  I 

God  rest  those  who  have  gone  to  their  great  reward. 
God  preserve,  bless,  guard  and  defend  Pius  XI,  true 
father  and  true  friend. 

The  picture  of  many  of  the  wonderful  Cardinals  of  my 
early  years  is  still  a  vivid  and  clear  memory.  Most  of 
them  are,  of  course,  dead;  and  I  find  myself  now  one  of 
the  old  Cardinals  —  not  in  years  or  in  feeling,  but  in  rank 


20  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


of  creation;  for  there  are  not  many  of  the  Sacred  College 
left  who  were  created  more  than  15  years  ago. 

There  is,  of  course,  Cardinal  Vincenzo  Vannutelli, 
nearly  90  years  of  age  and  created  in  1889.  Then  there  is 
Cardinal  Merry  del  Val  still  well  and  strong  and  youth¬ 
ful-looking,  notwithstanding  his  white  locks  and  the  tre¬ 
mendous  burdens  he  so  valiantly  bore  for  eleven  years 
as  Secretary  of  State  in  very  troublous  times.  There, 
too,  is  Cardinal  De  Lai,  vigorous  of  mind  and  body,  up¬ 
right  and  holy  of  soul,  a  tireless  worker,  as  humble  as  he 
is  valiant.  But  most  of  those  I  knew  as  a  young  Priest 
and  young  Bishop  have  gone  to  their  reward. 

I  mention  a  few  as  they  appeared  to  me  then  and  as 
they  still  remain  in  my  grateful  memory :  — 

Monaco  La  Valetta  —  a  democratic  aristocrat: 

Mazzella  —  learned  and  lofty: 

Schonborn,  of  Prague,  and  Howard,  of  England  — 
typical  noble  guardsmen,  handsome  as  pictures,  born  in 
the  purple  —  one  efficient,  the  other  decorative : 

Parocchi  —  short  and  pompous,  yet  so  kind  that  he 
could  never  say  “no”: 

Vaughan  —  handsome  as  Howard  but  consumed  with 
zeal: 

Ledochowski  —  the  gentlest  of  souls  but  the  terror  of 
Bismarck: 

Casali  del  Drago  —  a  Barberini  —  a  continual  sufferer 
who  never  complained: 

Vannutelli  brothers  —  Serafino  —  apostolic,  friendly 
to  all  Americans,  at  one  time  very  papable;  he  died 
blind: 

Vincenzo  —  diplomatic,  active  at  nearly  ninety, 
friendly  and  amiable: 

Rampolla  —  deep,  resourceful,  shrewd  —  an  impos¬ 
ing  figure  with  a  mysterious  face: 


REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  21 


Mathieu  of  France  —  hearty,  loquacious,  no  respecter 
of  protocols: 

Satolli  —  my  quondam  professor,  brilliant,  impetuous, 
orator  of  the  first  order  and  teacher  first  of  first;  he  for¬ 
gave  his  enemies: 

Agliardi  —  another  quondam  professor  of  mine,  tall, 
kingly,  agreeable,  suave;  his  silence  was  ominous: 

Della  Volpe  —  once  Maggiordomo,  serene  and  effi¬ 
cient.  A  nobleman  of  the  Marches,  he  could  cut  deep 
with  a  phrase  and  heal  it  with  a  smile.  He  loved  pov¬ 
erty,  though  a  patrician,  and  lived  amid  the  poorest 
surroundings.  On  the  wall  of  his  shabby  apartment 
with  its  shabby  furniture  was  found  after  his  death  a 
motto  written  by  his  own  hand  and  explaining  the 
poverty  of  his  house  —  “  Morituro  Satis.”  As  Maggior¬ 
domo  he  was  kindness  itself  to  me  and  all  Americans : 

Bonaparte  and  Chigi  —  both  princes  —  both  deeply 
pious,  uniformly  courteous  —  in  short,  princes: 

Cardinal  Mertel  —  who  had  been  once  Chief  of 
Police  of  Rome  before  the  debacle.  Though  partially 
paralyzed,  almost  blind  and  over  ninety  when  I  knew 
him,  he  was  most  gentle,  affable  and  kindly.  I  could 
never  associate  him  with  any  such  thing  as  a  Police 
Department  —  though  good  police  chiefs  are  often 
clever  and  genial. 

He  had  that  wonderful  vitality  and  love  of  holding  on 
to  life  which  I  think  one  sees  more  in  Italy  than  else¬ 
where.  He  was  Dean  at  that  time  of  the  Cardinal 
Deacons,  and  again  and  again  I  saw  him  assisted  by  his 
valet  limping  to  his  place  in  the  Sistine  at  great  func¬ 
tions.  It  used  to  be  whispered  that  Leo  XIII  liked  to 
see  him  there,  for  he  had  a  vague  feeling  that  when 
Cardinal  Mertel  died  he  would  soon  follow  —  as  they 
were  much  of  an  age.  But  Leo  outlived  him  several  years. 


22  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


Once  when  I  called  on  him  he  told  me  that  while  he 
was  still  a  child  his  mother  held  him  high  in  her  arms  to 
see  the  great  Napoleon  pass  in  the  streets  of  Civita 
Vecchia  —  and  he  never  forgot  the  sight. 

He  sat  propped  up  in  a  great  chair  at  his  desk.  His 
servants  were  devoted  to  him  —  the  reason,  gossips 
whispered,  was  because  he  told  them  that  while  living 
he  would  pay  them  generous  wages,  but  he  would  leave 
them  nothing  in  his  will. 

Se  non  e  vero  e  ben  trovato  —  for  it  worked. 

What  a  series  of  prelates,  each  with  a  distinction  of 
his  own  —  a  glorious  and  picturesque  procession  still 
vivid  in  my  memory. 

********* 

I  knew  personally  most  of  the  Archbishops  of  that 
day.  They  were  a  remarkable  body  of  devoted  pre¬ 
lates  —  differing  in  many  points  of  view  and  in  personal 
traits,  but  loyal  and  true  to  their  duty  and  their  often 
difficult  positions.  God  rest  them  all:  — 

Williams  —  reticent  and  righteous: 

Gibbons  —  tireless  and  tactful: 

Ireland  —  patriot  and  publicist: 

Riordan  —  oratorical  and  open: 

Corrigan  —  correct  and  critical: 

Farley  —  gentle  and  gracious: 

La  Chapelle  —  diplomatic  and  deep: 

Keane  —  rhetorical  and  ready: 

Kain  —  straight  and  soldierly: 

Elder  —  aristocratic  and  artless: 

Ryan  —  witty  and  wary: 

Begin  —  keen  and  careful. 

********* 

I  have  met  and  known  personally  all  the  Presidents 
since  McKinley.  They,  too,  were  remarkable  men  — 


REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  23 


not  all  great  as  executives,  but  all,  each  in  his  way,  giv¬ 
ing  of  his  best  for  the  Nation’s  welfare.  They  were  not 
infallible,  not  impeccable;  but  I  believe  that  they  all 
meant  to  be  honest,  serviceable,  loyal  Presidents. 

We  have  only  to  look  over  the  list  of  other  rulers  and 
premiers  and  presidents  to  appreciate  our  own  Chief 
Executives. 

They  were  all  most  kind  to  me  personally.  I  never 
asked  a  favor  from  one  of  them,  but  I  have  more  than 
once  at  their  request  helped  them  as  best  I  could  in 
advice  and  counsel:  — 

McKinley,  who  protected  industry  but  not  himself  — 
a  Christian  gentleman: 

Roosevelt,  who  scolded  Trusts  and  Muck-rakers  and 
founded  the  Ananias  club  —  a  Christian  soldier: 

Taft  —  who  never  lost  a  friend  and  never  made  an 
enemy: 

Wilson,  who  wrote  enchanting  essays  on  friendship 
but  never  held  a  friend  —  a  one-track  mind  which  ended 
in  a  fatal  collision  —  a  maker  of  wonderful  phrases 
which  taken  literally  would  make  the  world  a  paradise 
too  mechanical: 

Harding  —  kindest  of  hearts  who  could  not  say 
“no”  —  to  whom  life  was  a  comedy  which  ended  in 
tragedy,  a  dear  friend  to  some  for  whom  he  paid  too 
dearly: 

Coolidge  —  calm  and  careful  —  hard-working  and 
wholesome. 

********* 

Many  of  the  great  Roman  houses  were  then  and  still 
are  always  open  to  me.  I  learned  to  know  well  their 
really  noble  masters,  and  I  am  proud  that  they  name  me 
and  think  of  me  as  an  old  friend  of  the  Family. 

Prince  Barberini  is  a  saint.  His  son,  the  Prince  of 


24  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


Palestrina,  also  a  dear  friend  of  mine,  is  like  his  father,  a 
true  Catholic  nobleman. 

Prince  Chigi,  the  Hereditary  Marshal  of  the  Con¬ 
clave,  is  as  witty  as  an  Irishman,  as  keen  as  an  American 
and  as  simple  as  a  Roman  Prince. 

Prince  Lelio  Orsini,  of  the  Pope’s  Noble  Guard,  is  as 
loyal  a  friend  as  he  was  twenty-five  years  ago  —  and  as 
courtly  and  handsome  as  ever. 

There  was  also  dear,  delightful,  Prince  Camillo  Ros- 
pigliosi  —  alas,  now  dead  —  who  looked  like  a  clever 
American  business  man  in  civilians,  and  like  a  Roman 
Emperor  at  the  Vatican  as  Commander  of  the  Noble 
Guard.  His  wife,  Donna  Elena,  still  fives,  honored  and 
revered  for  her  piety,  and  still  remembered  as  the  most 
regally  beautiful  Princess  in  the  world.  So,  at  least,  the 
whole  American  Colony  agreed,  to  whom  she  was  a  sort 
of  patron  saint.  Her  sister  is  Lady  Isabella  Howard, 
wife  of  the  Rritish  Ambassador  at  Washington. 

Of  the  colony  of  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  few  of  my 
old  friends  are  living  except  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wurts,  whose 
home  in  the  Palazzo  Antici  Mattei  has  been  for  years  a 
centre  of  the  kindest  and  most  princely  hospitality. 

Alas,  nearly  all  those  who  were  best  known  among  the 
Americans  living  in  Rome  are  gone,  I  hope,  to  Heaven. 

Mrs.  Lee,  Mr.  J.  P.  Morgan’s  cousin,  and  her  sister, 
Mrs.  Hurlburt,  were  among  my  most  precious  friends  — 
revered  alike  by  all  who  had  the  privilege  of  knowing 
them. 

Then  there  were  the  Hazeltines  in  the  Palazzo  Al- 
tieri,  the  Storys  in  the  Rarberini  Palace,  the  MacNutts 
in  the  Doria  Palace,  and  the  Abbotts  of  Villa  Lontana. 

How  well  America  was  represented  then  by  the  kind¬ 
liest  and  the  most  urbane  hosts  who  ever  opened  their 
doors  to  a  friend! 


REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  25 


Among  the  English  Colony  were  Lady  Herbert  of  Lea 
and  Lady  Denbigh  —  both  Dowagers  who  spent  their 
winters  in  Rome  and  showed  the  world  how  to  be  deeply 
religious  and  grande  dames  of  the  social  world  as  well. 

All  the  American  Ambassadors  to  Italy  have  been 
good  and  devoted  friends,  MacVeigh,  Draper,  Meyer, 
Griscom,  O’Brien,  Page,  Child;  all  were  dear  fellow 
countrymen  and  delightful  friends.  And  our  present 
Ambassador,  Mr.  Fletcher,  is  as  dear  a  friend,  as  com¬ 
petent  a  representative,  and  as  clever  a  diplomat  as 
the  best  of  them. 

How  well  I  remember  the  delightful  visits  made  me 
at  the  College  in  those  golden  Roman  years  by  many 
well-known  and  distinguished  Americans  who  came  to 
spend  the  winter  in  the  Eternal  City!  Mr.  Levi  P. 
Morton  used  to  come  frequently  in  the  late  afternoon 
for  a  cup  of  tea  and  a  cigar.  I  see  him  now,  rather  feeble 
and  old,  but  very  distinguished  looking,  seated  in  a  great 
arm-chair,  pensive,  reticent,  and  often  reminiscent  of 
the  days  when  he  was  Vice-President. 

I  remember  well  one  afternoon  when  I  found  myself 
out  of  the  good  cigars  which  I  kept  for  my  guests,  with 
only  a  box  of  my  favorite  Minghettis,  very  mild  and 
very  cheap,  which  I  habitually  smoked  myself.  A  good 
host  never  makes  a  fuss,  so  I  handed  Mr.  Morton  the  box 
with  an  inward  chuckle  at  what  might  be  the  result. 

He  took  a  cigar,  lit  it,  puffed  leisurely  as  he  looked  at 
the  fire  in  the  grate,  and  said  nothing.  After  a  few  mo¬ 
ments,  he  puffed  again,  took  the  cigar  from  his 
mouth  and  looked  at  it  long  and  mysteriously.  Now, 
said  I  to  myself,  we  shall  hear  the  verdict  of  guilty. 
“What  an  excellent  cigar,”  he  said  gently.  —  “I  can’t 
get  anything  I  can  smoke  in  my  hotel.  Do  you  mind 
telling  me  where  you  get  this  brand?  “  Not  at  all,”  said 


26  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


I,  relieved.  “I  get  them  at  the  little  tobacco  shop  on 
the  Corso,  just  at  the  foot  of  Umilta.  They  cost  three 
cents  apiece.”  And  then  the  walls  of  Rome  shook  with 
laughter. 

Mr.  Potter  Palmer  was  another  frequent  guest.  He 
often  came  to  have  a  half-hour’s  quiet  conversation 
while,  as  he  used  to  say,  Mrs.  Palmer  busied  herself 
giving  directions  to  the  King,  the  Pope  and  all  the 
officials  of  Rome. 

Then  there  were  Frank  Higginson,  Monty  Sears  and 
John  Rurnett  —  all  delightful  Rostonians  who  loved 
Rome  and  the  peace  and  interest  they  found  in  the  old 
City. 

Larz  Anderson  was  then  our  Charge  d’ Affaires  —  a 
competent  and  courteous  one,  too. 

Rellamy  Storer,  then  our  Ambassador  to  Spain,  came 
in  from  time  to  time.  He  was  amiability  personified. 
Later  he  found  himself  between  the  devil  and  the  sea 
diplomatically,  with  the  usual  aftermath.  Such  a  pity ! 
Rut  why  will  well-meaning  laymen  mix  themselves  up 
in  ecclesiastical  politics  which  are  always  fatal  to  all  who 
touch  them! 

They  were  a  delight  to  converse  with  —  all  of  them  — 
so  different  in  outlook  and  temperament,  but  so  thor¬ 
oughly  American,  and  what  that  means  to  the  exile,  he 
alone  knows. 

********* 

r 

In  delivering  my  mission  to  the  people  all  over  the 
two  dioceses  which  I  have  governed  during  that  quarter 
of  a  century,  I  can  honestly  say  with  perfect  truth  I 
have  never  spared  myself. 

As  for  the  Apostolate  of  the  word,  my  seven  volumes 
of  “Sermons  and  Addresses”  demonstrate,  at  least,  a 
plentiful  exhibition  of  loving  labor.  Even  these  seven 


REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  27 


volumes  do  not  contain  all,  either  of  the  addresses  or  the 
sermons.  The  continual  succession  of  ordinations,  visi¬ 
tations,  confirmations  and  dedications  demanded  of  me 
no  merely  physical  presence,  but  a  message  as  best  I 
could  deliver  to  the  thousands  upon  thousands  who  have 
assisted  at  these  various  functions. 

In  the  matter  of  administration,  I  am  happy  to  say  I 
have  never  failed  to  keep  an  appointment  during  that 
time  —  not  that  I  always  felt  up  to  it,  but,  however, 
I  felt  I  kept  the  engagement  and  to  the  minute. 

The  institutions  of  the  diocese,  their  splendid  financial 
condition  and  their  efficient  management  are  known  to  all. 

The  matter  of  Catholic  education  has  been  during  all 
that  time  uppermost  in  my  thoughts.  It  is  now  so  well 
systematized  and  organized  that,  like  a  good  machine,  it 
requires  only  a  kindly  and  efficient  supervision. 

There  are  about  a  dozen  nationalities  represented  in 
this  archdiocese.  They  have  all  worked  with  me  in  com¬ 
plete  harmony.  I  think  that  means  much  for  both  sides. 

There  has  been  no  domination  either  of  the  Clergy  or 
the  laity,  but  I  think  I  can  venture  to  say  I  have  never 
hesitated  to  speak  as  plainly  as  possible  and  at  the  same 
time  just  as  kindly,  whenever  direction  was  needed. 

The  constant  visitation  of  the  various  parishes, 
whether  official  or  unofficial,  has  been  instrumental  in 
keeping  what  might  be  called  the  ecclesiastical  ma¬ 
chinery  of  things  in  good  order. 

I  am  speaking  now  not  so  much,  or  indeed  at  all,  in 
any  attempt  to  give  value  to  my  services.  That  was  a 
simple  duty  to  be  performed,  and  I  have  conscientiously 
striven  to  do  that  duty  during  all  these  years. 

No  one  but  God,  more  than  myself,  realizes  the  short¬ 
comings  and  the  defects  which  have  accompanied  my 
labors,  difficult  and  trying  as,  of  course,  they  always 


28  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


must  be.  But  it  has  been  a  matter  of  the  most  profound 
consolation  to  me  to  see  that  whatever  little  I  have  tried 
to  accomplish  has  been  generously  accepted  at  its  high¬ 
est  valuation  by  my  dear  priests,  no  better  anywhere  in 
the  world  (nor  more  loyal),  and  my  beloved  people,  no 
more  faithful  anywhere. 

My  heart  is  filled  with  deepest  gratitude  toward  al¬ 
mighty  God  for  the  strength  and  help  he  has  constantly 
given  me  and  for  the  talents,  such  as  they  are,  with 
which  he  has  endowed  me. 

Doubtless,  I  could  have  done  more  and  better  work, 
but  God  is  a  generous  Master  who  often  accepts  the  will 
for  the  deed,  and  who  supplements  with  his  omnipotent 
grace  the  shortcomings  of  his  poor  and  unprofitable 
servants. 

To  the  Holy  See  I  turn  as  I  did  twenty-five  years  ago 
with  the  same  complete  devotion  and  attachment  and 
with  a  thankfulness  beyond  words  for  the  innumerable 
demonstrations  of  high  consideration  and,  at  times,  even 
praise  which  I  little  deserved. 

Whatever  years  are  now  left  to  me  are  God’s  secret, 
but  I  shall  go  on  during  such  as  remain  with  a  renewed 
hope  and  courage,  because  of  the  wonderful  demonstra¬ 
tion  of  understanding  and  encouragement  which  I  have 
received  on  this  25th  anniversary  of  my  consecration.  I 
know  that  in  those  years  to  come,  as  in  those  now  past,  I 
shall  have  to  cheer  me  and  to  comfort  me  as  the  shadows 
lengthen  God’s  loving  help,  the  paternal  affection  of  my 
Father  in  God,  the  Vicar  of  Christ,  and  the  affectionate 
cooperation  of  my  priests  and  people. 

Today  I  look  back  over  the  past  twenty-five  years 
and  am  almost  staggered  at  the  quickness  of  their  flight 
and  the  rapidity  of  the  course  of  events  which  have  for 
me  marked  their  transit. 


REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  29 


I  have  had  wide  enough  fields  for  my  poor  labors  — 
fields  wide  enough  apart  to  provide  a  wealth  of  reminis¬ 
cence  and  contrast  —  America  —  Italy  —  Japan. 

I  have  loved  Italy  sincerely,  ardently,  since  that  day 
in  October,  1881,  when  I  climbed  the  steps  of  the 
venerable  structure  on  the  Umilta  —  the  dear  old 
College,  whose  birthday  was  my  own,  Dec.  8,  ’59,  and 
which  was  to  be  in  the  designs  of  God  such  a  potent 
factor  in  my  destiny.  I  love  Italy  dearly. 

I  admire  Japan  since  those  delightful  days,  chrysan¬ 
themum  days,  of  1906,  when  I  bore  an  historic  message 
from  the  Pope  to  the  Mikado,  and  received  on  all  sides 
distinguished  marks  of  consideration  and  kindness  from 
the  Emperor  and  his  statesmen. 

But  how  can  I  thank  God  enough  for  sending  me 
home,  back  to  my  native  land,  and  permitting  me  to  five 
and  labor  among  my  own  people  in  my  native  diocese, 
in  America  —  America  to  me  the  fairest  land  of  all  the 
earth,  loved  always  devotedly,  but  once  I  had  tasted  the 
pangs  of  a  long  absence,  loved  passionately,  as  one 
loves  a  dear,  indulgent  mother? 

Leo,  the  great,  the  lofty  intellect,  the  keen  vision,  sent 
me  back  to  America,  and  Pius,  the  holy  Pontiff,  the 
Saint,  sent  me  back  to  Boston.  God’s  mysterious 
designs  Leo  and  Pius  deciphered  and  wrote  into  the 
priceless  volume  of  my  life  and  labors  —  both  of  little 
value,  save  as  by  God’s  omnipotence  not  a  sparrow 
falls,  not  a  blade  of  grass  grows  but  through  His  power 
and  by  His  plan. 

Dear  Lord,  take  my  years  of  worthless  toil  and  make 
them  flower.  Take,  too,  the  trials,  the  grief,  aye,  and  the 
tears  that  have  fallen  through  long  gray  hours,  when 
unwavering  faith  was  wrestling  with  the  shadows  — 
and  triumphed.  The  past  is  past  forever.  Pardon, 


30  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


Lord,  for  all  its  errors,  its  mistakes  and  its  defects! 
For,  after  all,  dear  Lord,  for  Thee  I  have  toiled,  for  Thy 
Church,  my  people  and  my  country  who  are  also  Thine. 

Forgive  me  and  bless  them! 

And  now,  under  the  fearless  and  noble  leadership  of 
our  great  and  holy  Pontiff,  Pius  XI,  let  us  redouble  our 
efforts  to  bring  to  the  world  the  “Peace  of  Christ  in  the 
reign  of  Christ.” 


William  Cardinal  O’Connell 


REPRESENTATIVE 

LETTERS,  ADDRESSES  AND  EDITORIALS 


LETTERS  OF  CONGRATULATION 


•  • 

• 

FROM  HIS  HOLINESS,  POPE  PIUS  XI 

To  Our  Beloved  Son,  William,  of  the  Title  of  Saint  Clement,  Priest  of  the  Holy 

Roman  Catholic  Church,  Cardinal  O'Connell ,  Archbishop  of  Boston 

Pius  P.P.  XI 

To  Our  Beloved  Son,  Health  and  Apostolic  Benediction 
We  have  heard  with  great  joy  that  you  are  to  celebrate  on  May 
19th  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  day  upon  which  you  re¬ 
ceived  the  Episcopal  honor  and  office.  We  have  heard  that  accord¬ 
ing  to  your  wish  the  observance  of  that  day  by  your  clergy  and 
your  people  will  be,  not  in  the  splendor  of  public  solemnity,  but 
as  an  occasion  of  rendering  thanks  to  the  Giver  of  all  good  gifts  for 
the  blessings  which  during  that  space  of  time  have  come  to  you 
and  to  the  flock  entrusted  to  your  care. 

With  all  Our  heart  We  rejoice  at  this  wise  decision  of  yours,  for 
it  is  the  mark  of  a  good  shepherd  that  in  all  such  happy  events  as 
these  his  thoughts  are  not  turned  to  his  own  glory,  but  the  glory 
of  Him  who  gives  all  good  things,  planting  and  cultivating  in  the 
dew  of  His  blessings  and  giving  increase  and  fruitfulness  under  His 
protection,  so  that  an  event  like  this  of  your  Episcopal  Jubilee  will 
redound  to  the  spiritual  welfare  of  you  and  your  flock.  I  know  the 
many  and  great  things  which  under  your  direction  and  by  your 
action  have  been  accomplished  for  the  welfare  of  Holy  Mother 
Church  and  which  well  deserved  Our  praise  because,  among  other 
things,  of  your  well-known  devotion  to  this  Apostolic  See  whose 
honor  has  always  been  foremost  in  your  thoughts  and  your  deeds; 
whether  We  consider  the  devoted  and  studious  care  given  by  you 
to  the  students  of  your  beloved  country  in  this  Eternal  City,  or 
again  the  glory  of  the  faith  abroad,  spread  and  nourished  by  you  as 
Representative  of  the  Apostolic  See  in  Japan  or  again  the  zeal  and 
wise  and  beneficent  action  in  the  government  and  conduct  of  the 
great  works  done  in  the  Archdiocese  of  Boston,  —  the  building  of 


34  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


schools  and  the  erection  of  Churches  and  the  founding  of  charitable 
institutions,  —  and,  besides  all  these  things  very  noteworthy  in 
themselves,  your  charity  was  known  to  all  those  in  need  during  the 
bitter  war  which  for  a  while  was  raging  in  the  world.  No  wonder, 
then,  that  We  hold  you  dear  to  Our  heart  and  love  you  as  We  know 
the  citizens  of  Boston  do.  And  so  We  wish  to  be  with  them  and  to 
rejoice  with  them  on  the  happy  occasion  of  your  Jubilee. 

We  pray  the  Author  of  all  good  things,  Almighty  God,  to  make 
that  occasion  both  to  yourself  and  to  your  flock  one  of  great  joy 
and  spiritual  favors.  And  that  the  glorious  day  may  bring  to  you 
and  your  people  most  bountiful  graces,  We  ask  you  to  give  in  Our 
name  Our  apostolic  blessing  to  all  the  priests  and  people  of  your 
diocese.  Moreover,  with  a  heart  full  of  affection  We  grant  to  all 
who  will  sanctify  that  occasion  by  approaching  the  divine  banquet 
of  Christ’s  Love,  fulfilling  the  usual  conditions,  a  plenary  in¬ 
dulgence. 

Finally,  Beloved  Son,  as  a  pledge  of  heavenly  graces  and  favors 
and  as  a  sign  of  Our  special  paternal  benevolence,  We  impart  to 
you,  to  all  your  clergy  and  people  most  lovingly  in  the  Lord  Our 
apostolic  benediction. 

Given  at  St.  Peter’s,  Rome  —  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  April, 
1926,  and  of  Our  Pontificate,  the  fifth  year. 

Pros  P.P.  XI 


The  White  House 
Washington 

May  12,  1926 

My  dear  Cardinal  O’Connell:  — 

I  am  glad  to  add  my  word  of  congratulation  and  good  will  on 
the  completion  of  a  quarter  century  of  devout  service  in  the 
Episcopate.  I  hope  that  the  future  may  hold  in  store  for  you  many 
years  of  service  in  the  promotion  of  spiritual  ideals  which  are  so 
vital  to  permanent  progress. 

Very  truly  yours 

His  Eminence 
William  Cardinal  O'Connell 
25  Granby  Street 
Boston,  Mass. 


Calvin  Coolidge 


LETTERS  OF  CONGRATULATION 


35 


The  Governor 

The  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts 
Executive  Department 
State  House,  Boston 

May  19, 1926 


His  Eminence,  William  Cardinal  O'Connell 
Granby  Street 
Boston,  Massachusetts 

My  dear  Cardinal  O’Connell:  — 

Please  accept  my  cordial  greetings  of  good  will  on  this  your 
twenty-fifth  anniversary  as  spiritual  leader  of  the  Catholic  people 
of  this  Diocese.  To  have  spent  forty-two  years  in  the  service  of  the 
Church  in  the  various  positions  which  have  been  yours  and  which 
you  have  filled  with  such  honor  and  distinction  —  from  priest  to 
Prince  of  the  Church  —  must  be  to  you  a  great  source  of  satisfac¬ 
tion  as  it  has  been  of  pride  to  those  whom  you  have  served  so 
faithfully. 

That  you  may  be  spared  another  quarter  of  a  century  for 
the  work  that  you  are  doing  so  well  and  devotedly  is  my  earnest 
wish. 

Very  cordially  yours 

Alvan  T.  Fuller 


Frank  G.  Allen 

The  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts 
The  Lieutenant-Governor 
State  House,  Boston 


His  Eminence 

William  Cardinal  O'Connell 
Boston,  Massachusetts 

My  dear  Cardinal  O’Connell:  — 


May  14, 1926 


May  I  be  permitted  to  join  the  host  of  your  well-wishers  in  ex¬ 
tending  to  Your  Eminence  sincere  felicitations  upon  the  twenty- 
fifth  anniversary  of  your  consecration  as  a  Bishop. 

Such  an  occasion  is  a  truly  significant  one  in  itself,  but,  when 
marked  by  the  splendid  record  of  progress  and  achievement  which 
you  have  made,  it  becomes  an  event  of  larger  magnitude. 


36  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


Your  labors  for  the  Catholic  people  of  the  Diocese  of  Roston  have 
been  rewarded,  I  am  sure,  by  the  splendid  spiritual  and  civic  ad¬ 
vancements  which  your  efforts  have  made  possible.  The  further 
widespread  influence  of  your  fine  leadership  to  the  great  advantage 
of  the  whole  community  should  not  fail  to  bring  to  you  an  added 
feeling  of  satisfaction. 

It  gives  me  the  deepest  pleasure  to  express  to  you  my  heartiest 
congratulations  on  your  life  so  fruitful  in  all  things  for  the  common 
good,  and  to  wish  for  you  many  more  years  of  happiness  and  use¬ 
ful  service  for  others. 

Very  sincerely  yours 

Frank  G.  Allen 


Malcolm  E.  Nichols 
Mayor 

City  op  Boston 
Office  of  the  Mayor 
Boston,  Massachusetts 

His  Eminence,  William  Cardinal  O'Connell 
Archbishop  of  Boston 
Boslon,  Massachusetts 

Your  Eminence:  — 

Please  accept  the  heartiest  congratulations  of  the  people  of 
Boston  upon  the  occasion  of  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  your 
consecration  as  a  Bishop. 

Your  notable  activities  have  broadened  and  deepened  the  re¬ 
ligious  sentiments  of  all  the  American  people  and  thus  contributed 
to  the  greatness  of  our  beloved  country.  Such  service  makes  for 
the  upbuilding  of  our  nation,  for  without  the  inspiration  of  religion 
there  can  be  no  real  permanence  or  progress. 

Boston  rejoices  in  your  accomplishments,  and  expresses  the  hope 
that  your  distinguished  service  may  continue  for  many,  many 
years. 

Very  cordially  and  sincerely  yours 

Malcolm  E.  Nichols 

Mayor 

May  10,  1926 


t 


LETTERS  OF  CONGRATULATION 


37 


The  size  of  the  present  volume  is  limited  and,  consequently,  it  will 
scarcely  be  expected  of  us  to  print  all  the  letters  which  have  been 
received  from  Cardinals,  Archbishops,  and  Bishops. 

The  following  have  been  selected  from  hundreds  as  representative 
of  the  kindly  sentiments  of  those  who  have  honored  the  Cardinal  by 
letters  to  him  on  this  happy  occasion. 

Roma,  Palazzo  della  Dataria 
April  28,  1926 

Most  Reverend  and  Reloved  Lord  Cardinal: 

The  old  bonds  of  friendship  that  have  always  existed  between  us, 
grown  more  dear  as  Your  Eminence  has  ascended  through  the  suc¬ 
cessive  grades  of  the  ecclesiastical  hierarchy,  sealed  in  the  fraternal 
embrace  of  the  Cardinalate,  do  not  permit  me  to  remain  silent  on 
the  approach  of  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  your  Episcopal 
Consecration  in  the  Cathedral  Church  of  the  world. 

Please  accept,  therefore,  Your  Eminence,  on  this  happy  occasion, 
my  cordial  felicitations  and  permit  me  to  unite  them  with  so  many 
others  who  rejoice  with  you,  raising  fervent  prayers  to  God  to 
grant  to  Your  Eminence  robust  health,  that  you  may  continue  in 


the  service  of  Holy  Church  your  truly  apostolic  work  which  all 
admire. 

I  am  not  forgetful  of  the  many  kindnesses  that  Your  Eminence 
has  shown  to  me  in  fraternal  charity,  on  every  occasion,  and  there¬ 


fore  I  cannot  forbear  to  express  feelingly  to  you  my  most  affec¬ 
tionate  regards. 

On  the  memorable  day  of  May  19, 1  shall  not  fail  to  celebrate  the 
Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  for  Your  Eminence,  imploring  for  the 
Diocese  of  Boston  and  for  its  most  worthy  Cardinal  Archbishop  an 
abundance  of  the  choicest  celestial  favors. 

With  these  sentiments  I  reverently  kiss  your  hand,  and  with  the 
most  cordial  homage,  I  sign  myself 

Your  Eminence’s  true  friend  in  Christ 

Vincent  Card.  Vannutelli 

My  dear  Lord  Cardinal:  — 

These  lines  will  express  to  Your  Eminence  my  sincerest  and 
heartfelt  congratulations  on  the  25th  anniversary  of  your  Episcopal 


X 


38  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


Consecration.  You  will  be  receiving  many  good  wishes  on  this 
occasion  on  all  sides,  but  I  can  assure  Your  Eminence  that  no  one 
joins  more  earnestly  than  I  do  in  the  prayers  which  are  offered  up 
for  your  welfare  and  to  invoke  the  blessing  of  God  upon  Your 
Eminence  and  further  graces  upon  your  work  in  your  beloved 
diocese  of  Boston. 

May  our  Blessed  Lady,  under  whose  patronage  you  began  your 
Episcopal  career,  continue  to  protect  you  and  preserve  you  for 
many  long  years  in  strength  and  vigor.  I  rejoice  with  you  in  this 
happy  celebration  and  in  the  success  of  your  labors.  I  trust  that 
with  God’s  help  you  may  be  enabled  to  accomplish  still  more  for 
His  Church  and  for  the  good  of  souls.  “Ad  multos  annos!” 

Believe  me  to  be,  my  dear  Lord  Cardinal 

Your  devoted  servant  in  Christ 

R.  Card.  Merry  del  Val 

April  24,  1926 

Rome,  May  6,  1926 

Your  Eminence:  — 

On  May  19th,  when  you  will  celebrate  your  Episcopal  Jubilee,  be 
assured  that  I  shall  offer  to  God  fervent  prayers  that  the  sufferings 
which  have  accompanied  your  labors  may  be  changed  to  rewards 
and  consolations,  that  the  trials  which  have  been  brought  to  your 
episcopate  may  become  a  crown  and  that  God  will  favor  you  with 
every  best  blessing. 

I  am  deeply  grateful  for  the  kind  felicitations  which  you  sent  me 
on  the  occasion  of  my  fiftieth  anniversary  in  the  Sacred  Priesthood, 
—  I  always  remember  what  Pius  X  of  Happy  Memory  said  of 
Your  Eminence,  and  I  assure  you  that  since  then  I  have  fostered 
towards  Your  Eminence  all  the  veneration,  esteem,  and  affection 
which  Your  Eminence  truly  deserves. 

May  God  grant  Your  Eminence  all  kinds  of  grace  and  blessings, 
while  I,  with  affection,  call  myself 

Your  Eminence’s  most  beloved  friend 

C.  Cardinal  De  Lai 
Bishop  of  Sabina  e  Poggio  Mirteio 


LETTERS  OF  CONGRATULATION 


39 


Your  Eminence:  — 

Accept  my  deep,  sincere  and  cordial  congratulations  on  your 
Episcopal  Jubilee. 

In  the  name  of  the  Sacred  Congregation  of  the  Propaganda,  as 
Prefect,  it  is  particularly  gratifying  to  me  to  offer  Your  Eminence 
most  sincere  thanks  for  all  that  you  have  done  and  are  continuously 
doing  with  great  love  for  the  grand  work  of  the  Missions. 

I  pray  to  the  Lord  and  to  Our  Lady  of  Perpetual  Help  to  preserve 
you  for  many,  many  years  to  come  for  the  good  of  Holy  Church,  by 
accumulating  always  more  merits  for  eternity. 

With  sentiments  of  deep  respect  I  kiss  your  hands  and  I  have  the 
pleasure  of  calling  myself 

Your  Eminence’s  most  humble,  devoted,  and  true  servant 

G.  N.  Cardinal  Van  Rossum 

Rome,  May  7,  1926 

To  His  Eminence  W.  Cardinal  O'Connell 
Archbishop  of  Boston 

To  His  Eminence  W.  Cardinal  O'Connell 
Your  Eminence:  — 

I  am  pleased  to  learn  that  Your  Eminence  is  soon  to  celebrate 
the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  your  Episcopal  Consecration  and  I 
wish  to  be  among  those  to  offer  felicitations  on  this  auspicious  occa¬ 
sion.  It  must  be  a  great  joy  for  Your  Eminence  to  contemplate  the 
great  progress  that  Catholicity  has  made  in  the  Archdiocese  of 
Boston  during  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  and  to  realize  that  this 
great  good  has  taken  place  under  Your  Eminence’s  government. 

I  am  happy  to  tell  Your  Eminence  that  I  shall  offer  the  Holy 
Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  on  the  nineteenth  of  May  in  union  with  the 
Priests  of  your  Archdiocese  that  God  may  bestow  on  Your  Emi¬ 
nence,  and  all  the  Priests,  religious  and  people  of  the  Archdiocese, 
His  choicest  blessings. 

Kissing  humbly  your  hands,  I  remain 

Your  Eminence’s  humble,  fervent  servant  in  Xt. 

D.  Cardinal  Sbarretti 


Rome,  April  23,  1926 


40  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


y 


1723  Race  Street 
Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania 
May  18,  1926 

His  Eminence,  William  Cardinal  O'Connell 
Archbishop  of  Boston 
25  Granby  Street 
Boston,  Massachusetts 

Your  Eminence:  — 

On  the  occasion  of  your  Episcopal  Jubilee  please  receive  my 
congratulations  and  greetings  together  with  my  best  wishes  for 
every  choice  gift  of  God  for  body  and  soul. 

Cardinal  Dougherty 


Rome,  May  2,  1926 

Most  Eminent  Cardinal:  — 

I  beg  Your  Eminence  to  accept  my  most  heartfelt  congratula¬ 
tions  and  felicitations  on  the  occasion  of  the  celebration  of  the 
Jubilee  of  your  consecration  as  Bishop,  —  profound  congratula¬ 
tions  for  all  the  good  which  Your  Eminence  has  accomplished  in 
these  twenty-five  years  for  the  glory  of  God,  for  the  salvation  of 
souls,  for  the  growth  of  religion,  first  in  Portland,  then  in  Boston, 
for  the  numerous  new  parishes  which  you  have  created  and  the 
parochial  schools  built,  and  in  particular  for  the  spirit  of  profound 
attachment  to  the  Holy  See  and  the  Holy  Father  which  you  have 
manifested  always  and  everywhere. 

My  ardent  wish  is  that  Your  Eminence  will  be  spared  for  many, 
many  years  for  the  honor  of  the  Sacred  College,  the  welfare  of  the 
Church  and  the  best  interests  of  your  great  and  renowned  Arch¬ 
diocese.  ' 

On  your  Jubilee  day  I  will  join  your  faithful  children  in  my 
prayers  and  I  will  say  my  Mass  with  the  particular  intention  that 
all  our  prayers  will  be  heard  and  granted  by  Almighty  God. 

Humbly  kissing  the  Sacred  Purple,  I  am 

Most  devotedly  and  humbly  , 

L.  Cardinal  Sincero 


LETTERS  OF  CONGRATULATION 


41 


Most  Eminent  and  Esteemed  Cardinal:  — 

I  have  heard  that  on  May  19th  Your  Eminence  will  celebrate 
the  25th  anniversary  of  Your  Eminence’s  Episcopal  Consecration. 
You  have  spent  twenty-five  years  of  life  in  holiness  for  the  welfare 
of  the  dioceses  confided  to  your  care  and  for  the  advancement  of 
the  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States. 

To  the  many  felicitations  reaching  Your  Eminence  from  the 
world  over,  allow  me  to  join  my  own,  no  less  cordial  and  respectful, 
with  the  fervent  wish  that  you  may  yet  live  through  many  years  for 
the  good  always  of  the  Church  and  society. 

With  profound  respect  I  humbly  kiss  Your  Eminence’s  hands, 
while  I  have  the  honor  of  calling  myself 
Your  most  humble,  devoted  and  obedient  servant 

Evaristo  Cardinal  Lucidi 

Rome,  April  24,  1926 


Port  Jarvis,  New  York 
[May  19, 1926 

His  Eminence,  William  Cardinal  O'Connell 
Archbishop  of  Boston 
25  Granby  Street 
Boston,  Massachusetts 

Your  Eminence:  — 

Permit  me  to  express  to  Your  Eminence  my  sincere  felicitations 
on  the  Silver  Jubilee  of  your  Episcopal  Consecration. 

Ad  multos  annosl 

Cardinal  Hayes 


Chicago,  May  8, 1926 

My  Lord  Cardinal:  — 

Within  a  few  days  Your  Eminence  is  to  complete  a  quarter  cen¬ 
tury  in  the  Episcopate.  I  wish  to  be  among  those  who  congratulate 
you  on  this  occasion,  for  it  is  a  distinction  that  comes  to  but  few 
of  the  members  of  our  American  Hierarchy.  And  with  your  clergy 
and  people  may  I  be  permitted  to  join  my  good  wishes  and  prayers 
for  good  health,  happiness,  and  the  spiritual  and  temporal  pro- 


42  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


sperity  of  your  Diocese  and  yourself  “ad  multos  adhuc  annos.”  I 
beg  to  remain 

Your  Eminence’s  devoted  servant 

George  Cardinal  Mundelein 

His  Eminence  Archbishop  of  Chicago 

William  Cardinal  O'Connell 
Archbishop  of  Boston 

Your  Eminence:  — 

On  this  very  happy  day  of  Your  Eminence’s  Silver  Jubilee  of  the 
Episcopal  Consecration,  I  beg  to  join  the  large  number  of  admirers 
of  Your  Eminence,  to  offer  you  my  most  sincere  and  respectful 
greetings  and  wishes. 

I  am  glad  to  do  so  for  two  reasons:  first  of  all  to  show  Your 
Eminence  my  gratefulness  for  your  kind  interest  in  Palestine;  and 
after,  because  the  Episcopal  Consecration  of  Your  Eminence  is 
bound  with  one  of  the  best  souvenirs  of  my  life,  the  Cathedral  of 
St.  John  Later  an. 

All  my  Priests  want  to  be  remembered  to  Your  Eminence,  and 
assure  you  of  their  prayers. 

Wishing  Your  Eminence  that  Almighty  God  may  grant  you  the 
favor  of  reaching  the  Golden  Jubilee  too,  I  pay  you  my  best  re¬ 
spects,  and  I  have  the  honor  to  be 

Your  Eminence’s  most  obedient  servant 

Louis,  Patriarch  of  Jerusalem 


Rome,  April  28,  1926 

Most  Eminent  Cardinal:  — 

The  day  on  which  the  zealous  and  numerous  clergy  and  faithful 
of  the  renowned  Archdiocese  of  Boston  will  celebrate  the  twenty- 
fifth  anniversary  of  the  consecration  of  Your  Eminence,  their  be¬ 
loved  Pastor,  as  Bishop,  and  when  near  and  distant  devoted  ad¬ 
mirers  will  gather  about  you,  is  fast  approaching,  and  I  cannot  let 
it  pass  without  offering  to  Your  Eminence  my  most  heartfelt  con¬ 
gratulations  and  best  wishes  —  congratulations  for  your  wonderful 
accomplishments  in  the  apostolate  —  best  wishes  for  abundant 
graces  from  the  Lord. 


LETTERS  OF  CONGRATULATION 


43 


My  prayers  will  be  that  God  will  spare  Your  Eminence  for  many 
years,  grant  you  good  health  with  love  and  devotion  of  His  children 
and  assist  you  in  the  fulfillment  of  many  good  works  which  Your 
Eminence  has  begun. 

On  the  day  of  your  Jubilee  I  will  join  with  the  clergy  of  the 
Archdiocese  of  Boston  and  will  celebrate  my  Mass  for  your  in¬ 
tention. 

Thus,  Your  Eminence,  near  and  dear  friends  will  be  gathered 
about  the  Holy  Altar  to  pray  for  Your  Eminence  and  to  implore 
from  Heaven  all  the  grace  and  all  the  assistance  and  blessings  which 
you  desire. 

Earnestly  hoping  that  my  wishes  will  be  fulfilled  and  humbly 
kissing  the  Sacred  Purple,  I  am 

Most  humbly  and  devotedly 

Joseph  Pizzardo 
Substitute  to  the  Secretary  of  State 


Office  of  Secretary  of  State 
of  His  Holiness 


May  5, 1926 

Your  Eminence:  — 

On  May  19th,  when  my  letter  reaches  you,  Your  Eminence  will 
be  celebrating  your  Episcopal  Jubilee,  and  it  gives  me  great  pleas¬ 
ure  to  offer  you  most  cordial  felicitations  and  best  wishes.  I  have 
learned  that  Your  Eminence  desires  on  this  occasion  special  prayers 
from  all  the  priests  and  faithful  of  your  Archdiocese.  This  wish  of 
yours,  which  has  brought  such  edification  to  my  soul,  gives  me  the 
gracious  occasion  of  joining  the  celebration  of  your  Jubilee  by 
offering  Holy  Mass  for  Your  Eminence  on  that  day  and  thus  shall 
I  be  happy  to  unite  with  the  priests  of  your  Archdiocese. 

In  the  hope  that  Your  Eminence  will  deign  to  accept  my  wishes 
and  my  felicitations,  I  beg  to  remain,  kissing  the  Holy  Purple, 
Your  Eminence’s  most  humble  servant 

F.  Borgongini-Duca 
Secretary  of  the  Cong,  for  Extraordinary 
Ecclesiastical  Affairs 


44  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


Archbishop’s  Housb 
Baltimore,  Md. 


April  27, 1926 


His  Eminence 

William  Cardinal  O'Connell 

Boston,  Massachusetts 

Your  Eminence:  — 

On  the  occasion  of  the  Silver  Jubilee  of  your  Episcopal  Con¬ 
secration  the  Archdiocese  of  Baltimore  —  Archbishop,  Clergy,  and 
Faithful  —  takes  very  great  pleasure  in  sending  to  Your  Eminence 
sincerest  felicitations  and  heartfelt  good  wishes  —  ad  multos  annos 
ex  imo. 

This  great  event  in  the  remarkable  career  of  Your  Eminence 
gives  the  Mother  See  of  the  United  States  another  opportunity  of 
giving  expression  to  the  historic  friendship  which  has  existed  for 
over  a  century  between  the  Archbishops  of  Baltimore  and  Boston. 
May  that  kindly  bond  continue  through  all  the  years  to  be. 

As  Cardinal  Archbishop  of  Boston,  Your  Eminence  occupies 
to-day  the  first  place  among  the  Prelates  of  this  favored  land. 
God  has  endowed  you  with  all  the  gifts  needed  for  strong,  out¬ 
spoken,  fearless,  yet  sane  and  conservative  leadership.  The  Church 
of  God  in  America  needs  that  type  of  leadership  to-day.  May  you 
be  spared  for  many  years  to  give  it  to  all  of  us.  In  what  I  have 
written  thus  far  I  am  voicing  the  sentiments  of  the  old  See  of 
Carroll,  Kenrick,  and  Gibbons. 

Permit  me,  Your  Eminence,  to  offer  you  my  own  personal  con¬ 
gratulations  on  this  happy  occasion  of  your  Silver  Jubilee.  Many 
Masses  will  be  celebrated,  many  prayers  offered  for  your  spiritual 
welfare.  I  will  gladly  add  my  own  poor  prayers  to  those  of  your 
Priests  and  people  that  God  may  have  you  ever  in  His  keeping. 

“  Dominus  conservet  te  et  vivificet  te  et  beatum  faciat  te  in  terra 
et  non  tradat  te  in  animam  inimicorum  tuorum.” 

Cordially  in  Christ  — 

Michael  J.  Curley 

Archbishop  of  Baltimore 


LETTERS  OF  CONGRATULATION 


45 


Terrace  Heights 
Winona,  Minnesota 

Your  Eminence:  — 

It  is  a  pleasure  and  a  privilege  to  offer  my  cordial  congratulations 
to  His  Eminence,  William  Cardinal  O’Connell,  the  Archbishop  of 
Boston,  on  the  occasion  of  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  his 
Episcopal  Consecration. 

From  the  beginning  of  his  career,  Cardinal  O’Connell  has  been  a 
strong,  sane,  and  fearless  leader  in  ecclesiastical,  civic,  and  social 
movements,  whose  words  were  eagerly  sought  and  pondered. 

Since  the  passing  of  Cardinal  Gibbons,  the  last  of  that  brilliant 
galaxy  of  great  men  that  illumined  the  ecclesiastical  firmament  at 
the  beginning  of  the  twentieth  century,  Cardinal  O’Connell  has 
been  an  accepted  and  enlightening  spokesman  on  all  critical  and 
burning  questions  whose  pronouncements  not  infrequently  ring  out 
with  genuine  eloquence  and  statesmanship. 

His  admirers  share  in  the  hope  and  prayer  that  Cardinal  O’Con¬ 
nell  may  long  continue  to  do  service,  valiant  and  noble,  for  God 
and  country. 

Ad  multos  annosl 

Patrick  R.  Heffron 

Bishop  of  Winona 

Ogdensburg,  N.Y.,  May  10, 1926 

Your  Eminence:  — 

Your  Silver  Jubilee  will  fittingly  commemorate  your  investiture 
by  the  great  Leo  XIII  with  the  purple  of  the  Episcopate,  “royal 
dye  of  empire  and  of  martyrdom.’’  It  will  recall  the  Saintly  Pius  X 
promoting  you  to  the  Archiepiscopal  See  of  Boston  and  raising  you 
later  on  to  the  princely  rank  of  Cardinal  of  the  Universal  Church. 

Whom  Rome  honors,  her  children  honor;  whom  she  entrusts 
with  leadership,  they  loyally  follow  and  obey.  But  the  dominant 
motive  of  the  joyous  acclaim  with  which  your  people  will  greet 
Your  Eminence  is  the  record  of  splendid  achievement  that  has 
signalized  your  administration  of  their  highest  interests. 

While  the  many  privileged  beneficiaries  of  your  zealous  shepherd- 


46  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


ing  will  offer  you  their  tribute  of  thankfulness  and  praise,  countless 
others  will  share  in  their  act  of  homage. 

The  many  eloquent  and  inspiring  utterances  of  the  Cardinal  of 
Boston,  in  defense  of  our  dear  religion,  have  reached  far  beyond  the 
confines  of  New  England.  His  repeated  unheralded  charities  to 
struggling  dioceses  in  our  own  land  and  the  challenging  example  of 
his  munificent  contribution  to  the  spread  of  the  Gospel  in  pagan 
fields,  are  monumental  facts  that  command  the  admiration  and 
gratitude  of  us  all. 

May  Your  Eminence  deign,  therefore,  to  accept,  together  with 
the  felicitations  of  your  own  diocesans,  my  hearty  congratulations 
and  best  wishes. 

Sincerely  in  Christ 

J.  H.  Conroy 

To  His  Eminence,  William  Cardinal  O'Connell 
Archbishop  of  Boston 


Detroit,  Michigan,  May  18, 1926 
His  Eminence  William  Cardinal  O'Connell 
Archbishop  of  Boston 
25  Granby  Street 
Boston,  Massachusetts 

Your  Eminence:  — 

On  this  occasion  of  the  Silver  Jubilee  of  your  Episcopate  I  deem 
it  a  great  honor  to  join  with  the  Holy  Father,  the  Cardinals,  and  the 
Hierarchy  of  the  world  in  felicitating  you  on  the  great  things  done 
for  God  and  Country  by  you  during  this  glorious  period  of  your 
life. 

May  God  grant  you  another  such  period  replete  with  blessings. 

Bishop  Gallagher 

Bishop’s  House 
Baker,  Oregon,  April  30, 1926 

Your  Eminence: — 

Hearing  of  the  glorious  Silver  Jubilee  of  your  elevation  to  the 
exalted  dignity  of  the  Episcopate,  as  an  humble  brother,  I  beg  leave 
to  indulge  the  satisfaction  I  feel  to  express  on  paper  the  sentiment 


LETTERS  OF  CONGRATULATION  47 

of  a  heart  exulting  with  joy  on  this  propitious  event.  Twenty-five 
years  ago  —  what  a  long  time!  —  God  made  you  a  Bishop. 

During  a  quarter  of  a  century,  you  have  honored  the  Mitre, 
graced  the  Pallium  and  shed  lustre  on  the  Red  Hat,  as  a  leader 
among  the  Princes  of  the  Church  in  thought,  word  and  deed.  The 
record  of  grand  result  and  apostolic  achievement,  that  are  the  his¬ 
tory  of  this  period  of  our  Church  in  these  United  States,  is  linked 
imperishably  with  Your  Eminence’s  name,  for  during  all  these  years 
you  have  been  a  torch-bearer  in  our  midst  of  religion,  justice  and 
patriotism.  Is  not  this  glory  enough,  the  making  of  the  grand  his¬ 
tory  of  God’s  Church? 

Yet  there  is  another  phase  of  Your  Eminence’s  career  that  calls 
for  profoundest  recognition  from  every  true  Irishman.  It  is  the 
fearless  manner  in  which  you,  a  Prince  of  the  Church,  championed 
Poor  Ireland’s  cause  when  She  was  being  ridiculed  at  the  bar  of 
public  opinion  in  this  country.  At  the  psychological  moment  in  her 
defense,  you  rose  up  before  the  gaze  of  a  cringing  world.  Like  a 
Moses  of  old,  by  matchless  courage,  golden  eloquence  and  the 
genius  of  your  undaunted  Spirit,  you  led  the  Irish  race  through  the 
Red  Sea  of  calumny  and  vituperation  into  the  Promised  Land  of 
honor  and  self-respect. 

It  is,  then,  with  pardonable  pride  and  grateful  appreciation  that 
I  congratulate  you  on  this  Bright  Silver  Jubilee  of  your  consecra¬ 
tion  to  the  Episcopacy,  and  anticipating  still  greater  results  from 
your  administration  as  our  American  Primate,  I  congratulate 
American  Catholics  in  general,  wishing  you  health  and  every  bless¬ 
ing  for  a  long  series  of  years  and  Heaven  hereafter. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  sentiments  of  the  greatest  respect. 
Your  Eminence’s  grateful  friend,  and  most  obedient  servant 

Joseph  F.  McGrath 

Bishop  of  Baker  City 

His  Eminence 

William  Cardinal  O'Connell 
Archbishop  of  Boston,  Mass. 


48  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


Bishop’s  House 
Corpus  Christi,  Texas 


May  4, 1926 

Your  Eminence:  — 

Permit  me  to  join  Your  Eminence’s  many  friends  and  spiritual 
children,  especially  Your  Eminence’s  diocesan  spiritual  laborers,  in 
offering  sincere  congratulations  and  cordial  wishes  on  the  twenty- 
fifth  anniversary  of  Your  Eminence’s  consecration  as  Bishop. 

I  regret  very  much  that  distance  and  inability  to  leave  here  for 
the  occasion  of  the  celebration  of  the  event  will  deny  me  the 
pleasure  to  be  present  to  express  my  sentiments  viva  voce. 

On  May  nineteenth  I  will  offer  my  Mass  according  to  Your 
Eminence’s  intention;  which  I  offer  as  the  best  token  of  my  deep 
regard  and  my  equally  deep  appreciation  of  the  many  courtesies 
and  kindnesses  shown  me,  on  different  occasions,  by  Your  Emi¬ 
nence;  and,  especially,  as  a  mark  of  my  sincere  gratitude  for  the 
cordial  interest  Your  Eminence  has  taken  in  the  needs  of  the  poor 
missions  of  my  diocese,  and  for  the  great  encouragement  given  me 
in  my  humble  efforts  to  protect  and  prosper  my  flock. 

With  the  above  sentiments  and  profound  respect,  I  beg  to  remain 
Your  Eminence’s  humble  and  devoted  servant  in  Christ 

Emmanuel  B.  Ledvina 

Bishop  of  Corpus  Christi 

His  Eminence 

William  Cardinal  O’Connell 
Archbishop  of  Boston 


Springfield,  Mass.,  May  17,  1926 

Your  Eminence:  — 

On  this  eventful  day  of  your  Episcopal  Silver  Jubilee,  I  come  to 
greet  you  as  our  revered  Metropolitan  of  New  England  and  the 
outstanding  Prelate  of  our  American  Church  of  to-day. 

I  rejoice  with  you  in  the  splendor  which  your  illustrious  career 
has  shed  on  the  Catholic  name  and  offer  heartfelt  congratulations 
on  your  monumental  achievements. 

It  is  my  powerful  hope  and  prayer  that  you  may  long  be  spared 
to  raise,  strengthen  and  sanctify  your  fellowmen  with  undiminished 


LETTERS  OF  CONGRATULATION  49 

vigor  and  enthusiasm,  that  when  the  account  of  your  labors  is 
written,  the  golden  clasps  will  lock  a  golden  story. 

I  beg  leave  to  remain,  Your  Eminence 

Very  sincerely  yours  in  Christ 

Thomas  M.  O’Leary 

Bishop  of  Springfield 

Cardinal  O'Connell 

Archbishop  of  Boston 


Covington,  Kentucky 
May  6,  1926 

Your  Eminence:  — 

On  the  auspicious  occasion  of  the  Silver  Jubilee  of  your  elevation 
to  the  Episcopate  I  extend  to  you  my  most  respectful  and  cordial 
felicitations. 

At  the  same  hour  that  you  celebrate  the  Holy  Sacrifice  in  your 
Cathedral  on  the  day  of  the  anniversary,  I,  too,  shall  offer  up  the 
Mass  in  my  Cathedral  in  thanksgiving  to  God  for  the  blessings 
He  has  bestowed  on  you  in  your  twenty-five  years  of  splendid 
service  as  a  leader  in  the  Church,  and  in  gratitude  for  the  good 
to  Church  and  Country  of  which  you  have  been  the  providential 
instrument. 

The  children  and  the  religious  of  my  diocese  will  join  with  me  in 
thanksgiving  to  God  for  your  consistent,  courageous,  and  continued 
defense  of  the  Catholic  position  in  education. 

That  God  may  bless  Your  Eminence,  and  grant  you  vigor  and 
ardor  in  great  undertakings  for  the  Church  of  Christ,  is  the  earnest 
prayer  of 

Your  devoted  and  humble  servant  in  Christ 

►F  Francis  W.  Howard 

Bishop  of  Covington 

His  Eminence 

William  Cardinal  O'Connell 
Archbishop  of  Boston 


50 


REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


Office  of  the  General  of  the  Augustinians 
j.  Rome,  Via  Del  S.  Uffizio,  1 

To  His  Eminence,  Cardinal  O'Connell 
Archbishop  of  Boston 

Your  Eminence:  — 

Rev.  Joseph  Hickey,  O.S.A.,  Assistant  General  of  our  Order,  has 
informed  me  that  on  the  19th  of  May  Your  Eminence,  God  willing, 
will  have  completed  the  25th  year  of  your  Episcopacy,  during  which 
time  by  the  assistance  of  divine  grace  Your  Eminence  has  per¬ 
formed  many  noble  and  enduring  works  for  the  salvation  of  souls. 

The  clergy  and  people  of  Portland  and  Boston  will  forever  cherish 
the  memory  of  a  most  zealous  pastor  and  teacher  and  they  never 
can  forget  that  most  fervent  apostle  who  erected  innumerable 
churches  for  the  use  of  the  faithful,  that  most  wise  teacher  who 
zealously  and  constantly  watched  over  Catholic  education,  that 
most  learned  writer  who  aided  the  cause  of  Catholic  literature  by 
his  scholarly  contributions,  that  most  skillful  preacher  who  fear¬ 
lessly  proclaimed  the  Word  of  God,  that  most  prudent  leader  who 
in  promoting  Catholic  action  was  second  to  none,  that  most  loving 
priest  who  encouraged  and  fostered  vocations  to  the  sacred  priest¬ 
hood  and  to  the  religious  life,  —  finally,  that  most  faithful  Vicar  of 
Christ  who  did  not  fail  to  spread  the  Kingdom  of  God  upon  earth 
and  who  like  the  Apostle  made  himself  all  things  to  all  men  so  that 
all  might  gain  the  Kingdom  of  Christ.  The  supreme  Vicar  of  Christ 
was  mindful  of  all  these  glorious  accomplishments  when  he  honored 
you  with  the  Cardinalate. 

Your  faithful  children  wish  to  publicly  recognize  and  bear  witness 
to  all  these  great  achievements  for  God  on  that  happy  day  by  most 
solemn  manifestations.  In  the  name  of  the  whole  Augustinian 
Order,  but  more  especially  of  our  American  Province  of  St.  Thomas 
of  Villanova,  I  most  happily  join  with  them  in  recognizing  these 
truly  wonderful  works  and  take  this  occasion  to  congratulate  you 
most  sincerely  upon  the  25th  anniversary  of  your  Episcopal  Con¬ 
secration.  We  earnestly  beseech  Almighty  God,  the  source  of  all 
life  and  graces,  by  the  intercession  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary, 
Mother  of  Good  Counsel,  our  Holy  Father,  Saint  Augustine,  dis- 


LETTERS  OF  CONGRATULATION 


51 


tinguished  Doctor  of  Grace,  that  you  may  be  spared  for  many  years 
to  accomplish  still  greater  things  for  Jesus  Christ  and  His  Church 
upon  earth. 

Kissing  the  Sacred  Purple  and  begging  the  blessing  of  Your 
Eminence  upon  the  whole  Augustinian  Order,  I  am 

Your  Eminence’s  most  devout  and  humble  servant 

James  Garcia 

General  of  the  Order  of  St.  Augustine 

Rome,  April  26, 1926 


Rome,  April  24, 1926 

Your  Eminence:  — 

It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  I  heard  a  few  days  ago  that  on 
May  19th  Your  Eminence  will  celebrate  the  twenty-fifth  anniver¬ 
sary  of  your  Episcopal  Consecration.  May  I  be  permitted  to  join 
the  host  of  your  friends  at  home  and  abroad  who  will  give  expres¬ 
sion  to  their  congratulations  and  good  wishes  on  the  occasion  of  this 
happy  event?  I  feel  it  to  be  my  duty  to  do  so,  both  in  my  own  name 
and  in  the  name  of  the  whole  Society  of  Jesus. 

I  shall  leave  it  to  our  Holy  Father,  Pope  Pius  XI,  and  to  your 
Brothers  in  the  Cardinalate  and  Episcopate,  to  appreciate  at  its 
full  value  the  work  which  you  have  done  for  the  Church  at  large 
during  this  quarter  of  a  century  of  distinguished  service.  The 
Priests  and  people  of  the  Boston  Archdiocese  will  not  fail  in  their 
turn  to  tell  the  story  of  your  achievements  at  home  in  the  course  of 
these  twenty-five  years.  Let  it  be  my  more  humble  but  not  less 
loving  task,  to  credit  Your  Eminence  with  all  that  these  years  have 
meant  for  the  Society  of  Jesus  in  your  Episcopal  City  and  Arch¬ 
diocese,  in  Japan,  in  Jamaica,  in  a  word  in  all  our  Missions.  We 
have  not  been,  I  hope,  ungrateful  recipients  of  Your  Eminence’s 
many  kindnesses  and  favors  in  the  past.  But  occasions  of  express¬ 
ing  our  gratitude  do  not  present  themselves  as  often  as  we  could 
wish.  All  the  more  eagerly,  therefore,  do  we  avail  ourselves  of 
Your  Eminence’s  Silver  Jubilee  Celebration  in  order  to  manifest 
our  sentiments  of  respect  and  esteem,  and  our  grateful  recognition 
of  all  that  we  owe  to  your  friendship  and  benevolence. 


52  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


I  shall  gladly  add  my  name  to  the  list  of  those  who  here  in  Rome 
will  on  May  19th  offer  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  in  thanks¬ 
giving  for  the  blessings  with  which  God  has  enriched  these  twenty- 
five  years,  and  for  the  intentions  of  Your  Eminence.  For  the  same 
purpose  I  place  at  your  disposal  a  Jubilee  offering  of  three  hundred 
Masses. 

In  answer  to  our  prayers,  may  the  Lord  in  Whose  cause  you  have 
already  labored  so  long  and  so  well,  grant  Your  Eminence,  together 
with  His  choicest  spiritual  and  temporal  gifts,  health  and  length  of 
days  to  be  spent  with  ever-increasing  success  for  His  glory  and  for 
the  welfare  of  the  Church  and  of  souls. 

I  remain 

Your  Eminence’s  humble  servant  in  Xt. 

W.  Ledochowski 
General  of  the  Soc.  of  Jesus 


L.J.C. 

et  Rome,  5  Via  Vitt®0  da  Feltre 

M.I.  May  3,  1926 

To  His  Eminence 
Cardinal  William  O'Connell 
Arch’p  of  Boston 

Your  Eminence:  — * 

Having  just  heard  that  Your  Eminence  is  about  to  celebrate,  on 
the  19th  of  this  month,  the  25th  anniversary  of  your  elevation  to 
the  Episcopacy,  I  hasten  to  unite  my  congratulations  to  those  of  the 
multitude  of  your  well-wishers  from  all  the  parts  of  the  world. 

The  many  proofs  of  kind  condescension,  nay  of  paternal  interest, 
which  Your  Eminence  has  shown  to  our  Fathers,  who  are  so  happy 
to  labor  under  Your  Eminence’s  pastoral  guidance,  prompt  me  to 
seize  this  auspicious  occasion  to  extend  my  gratitude  for  all  Your 
Eminence  has  been  pleased  to  do  for  our  humble  congregation. 

To  our  congratulations  and  our  expression  of  thanks,  we  feel  it 
a  pleasant  duty  to  add  our  wishes  for  a  long  life  and  continued 
welfare  to  Your  Eminence. 

As  all  best  gifts  come  from  the  Father  of  Light,  it  is  to  Him  that 


LETTERS  OF  CONGRATULATION 


53 


our  prayers  shall  be  directed  in  humble  and  fervent  supplication, 
in  order  to  draw  down  upon  Your  Eminence  the  most  precious 
graces  and  blessings. 

To  give  weight  to  our  prayers  we  shall  entrust  them  to  the 
maternal  heart  of  our  Immaculate  Mother  and  Patron,  to  whose 
loving  protection  we  shall  ever  recommend  Your  Eminence  revered 
and  beloved. 

Your  Eminence’s  humble  servant  in  J.C.  and  M.I. 

►P  Aug.  Dontenwill,  O.M.I. 

Arch' p  of  Ptolemy 
Sup .  Gen.  Miss.  Obi.  of  M.I. 

Office  of  the  General 

OF  THE  PaSSIONIST  ORDER 

Rome,  Sts.  John  and  Paul 
May  1,  1926 

Your  Eminence:  — 

It  is  with  sincere  pleasure  that  I,  in  the  name  of  the  Passionist 
Congregation,  add  my  heartfelt  good  wishes  to  the  chorus  of  felici¬ 
tations  that  will  greet  Your  Eminence  on  the  occasion  of  your  Silver 
Jubilee  in  the  Episcopate. 

The  fame  of  your  unflagging  zeal  in  the  interests  of  God’s  greater 
glory  and  the  good  of  souls  is  so  widely  diffused  as  to  need  no  com¬ 
ment  from  us  Passionists.  Our  participation  in  your  joy  is  of 
a  more  personal  nature.  Your  ready  helpfulness  to  our  Fathers 
in  their  needs,  your  fatherly  interest  in  their  work,  your  unfail¬ 
ing  kindness  to  them  are  so  many  claims  to  our  remembrance 
and  gratitude.  Hence  we  assure  Your  Eminence  that  on  the  day 
of  the  anniversary  of  your  Episcopal  Consecration  you  shall  have 
a  special  share  in  our  Masses  and  prayers,  our  hearts  shall 
carry  to  the  Throne  of  Grace  the  petition  of  Holy  Mother 
Church,  “Stet  et  pascat  in  fortitudine  tua,  Domine  in  sublimitate 
nominis  tui.” 

Leo  a  S.C.G. 

General  of  the  Congregation  of  the  Most  Holy  Cross 
and  of  the  Passion  of  our  Lord,  Jesus  Christ 


p 


54  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 
J.M.J.A.T. 

Saint  Alphonsus,  Via  Merulana 
Rome,  May  1,  1926 

My  dear  Lord  Cardinal:  — 

I  have  just  been  reminded  that  May  19th  next  is  the  Silver 
Jubilee  day  of  Your  Eminence’s  Episcopal  Consecration,  and  I 
hasten  to  offer  you  the  heartfelt  good  wishes  and  congratulations  of 
all  the  children  of  St.  Alphonsus  and  guardians  of  the  original 
picture  of  our  Mother  of  Perpetual  Help.  We  all  feel  your  great 
kindness  and  generosity  to  the  Redemptorists  and  your  great  devo¬ 
tion  to  St.  Alphonsus  and  to  our  Mother  of  Perpetual  Help,  which 
makes  us  look  on  Your  Eminence  as  one  of  our  own.  This  is  spe¬ 
cially  true  of  good  Father  Schwarz,  who  sends  you  every  kind  of 
good  wishes  and  also  prayers.  I  will  offer  up  H.  Mass  for  Your 
Eminence  on  the  19th  on  the  high  seas.  I  land  in  New  York  on 
May  22d  (Pentecost  eve)  and  go  straight  to  our  St.  Louis  Province, 
where  I  begin  the  canonical  visitation  on  the  Monday  after  Pente¬ 
cost  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  Congress,  all  my  time  will  be 
taken  up  with  the  visitation.  Father  Schwarz  will  have  a  Mass 
offered  up  for  Your  Eminence  at  Our  Lady’s  Shrine  on  the  19th 
inst.  His  own  Mass  is  uncertain. 

Asking  Your  Eminence’s  blessing,  I  remain 

Yours  ever  devotedly  in  J.  and  M. 

P.  Murray,  C.SS.R. 

Sup.  Gen.  (Ret.  Mag.) 

The  following  letter  is  from  Rt.  Rev.  George  J.  Patterson,  Prothonotary 
Apostolic,  one  of  the  oldest  Priests  in  the  Archdiocese  and  the  Dean  of  the 
Clergy. 

May  18,  1926 

To  His  Eminence 
William  Cardinal  O'Connell 

Your  Eminence:  — 

Being  one  of  the  oldest  priests  in  the  Archdiocese,  I  have  been 
selected  to  convey  to  you  the  loyal  and  hearty  congratulations  of 
all  your  priests  on  your  Silver  Jubilee,  twenty-five  years  as  Bishop 
in  God’s  Church. 


JUBILEE  MESSAGE  OF  HIS  EMINENCE 


55 


In  the  retrospect  of  your  twenty-five  years  as  a  Bishop  in  the 
Catholic  Church,  what  a  glorious  vision  of  manifold  divine  graces, 
bestowed  upon  you  by  Heaven,  and  of  splendid  achievements  per¬ 
formed  by  you  for  God  and  His  Holy  Church,  must  reveal  itself  for 
your  soul’s  contemplation  on  this  occasion!  We  leave  to  the  his¬ 
torian  of  the  future  the  task  of  recording  the  wonderful  events  of 
your  illustrious  career,  and  of  evaluating  their  importance  in 
moulding  the  destiny  of  the  Church  in  America. 

Sufficient  it  is  for  us  to  say,  that  your  leadership  in  the  great 
Church  of  God  challenges  the  admiration  of  the  entire  Christian 
world. 

It  is  my  great  privilege  and  unbounded  pleasure  to  present  to  you 
on  this  memorable  occasion,  the  sincere  homage  of  your  loyal  and 
devoted  clergy,  and  in  their  name  pray  “ad  multos  annos.” 

Geo.  J.  Patterson 

JUBILEE  MESSAGE  OF  HIS  EMINENCE,  TO  THE  PRIESTS  AND 
PEOPLE  OF  HIS  ARCHDIOCESE 

With  a  heart  overflowing  with  gratitude  to  God  for  His  abundant 
blessings,  I  approach  the  Silver  Jubilee  of  my  Episcopal  Consecra¬ 
tion.  Twenty-five  years,  crowded  with  work  and  with  the  respon¬ 
sibilities  and  anxieties  that  necessarily  accompany  it,  have  rolled 
by;  yet  my  health  to-day  is  excellent,  and  my  spirit  as  buoyant  as 
on  that  memorable  day  a  quarter  century  ago,  when  I  was  sol¬ 
emnly  consecrated  Bishop  in  the  Corsini  Chapel  in  Rome. 

As  I  review  the  history  of  those  years,  fragrant  memories  crowd 
thick  and  fast  upon  me.  I  love  to  dwell  upon  the  holy  associations 
and  lasting  friendships  both  in  Rome  and  in  America  that  those 
years  have  brought.  Many  of  my  old-time  friends,  high  officials 
both  in  Church  and  State,  have  passed  to  their  reward,  leaving 
memories  that  I  shall  cherish  all  the  days  of  my  life. 

My  years  in  Portland  passed  all  too  swiftly.  As  I  look  back  upon 
them  I  give  thanks  to  God  for  the  loyalty  and  cooperation  ever  and 
always  extended  to  me,  by  the  good  priests  and  faithful  people  of 
that,  my  first  Episcopal  charge. 


56  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 

Coming  to  Boston,  the  Metropolitan  See  of  New  England,  I 
naturally  approached  the  graver  duties  and  higher  responsibilities 
of  an  Archbishop  with  some  trepidation,  but  with  perfect  confi¬ 
dence  that  God  would  direct  and  strengthen  me. 

Thanks  to  His  unfailing  assistance  and  to  the  united  purpose  of 
priests  and  people,  cooperating  with  me  so  loyally,  so  generously, 
and  so  devotedly  at  all  times,  I  can  now  look  back  to  a  record  of 
accomplishment  that  has  placed  Boston  in  the  forefront  of  the 
dioceses  of  Christendom. 

All  the  days  of  my  Episcopate  have  been  days  of  ceaseless  toil. 
I  have  labored  throughout  the  day,  and  often  well  into  the  night, 
for  the  spiritual  and  material  advancement  of  the  faithful.  Cares 
and  anxieties  inseparable  from  office  beset  me,  as  they  have  beset 
every  Bishop,  but  they  are  all  forgotten  now,  the  labors,  the  cares, 
and  the  anxieties,  in  my  joy  at  seeing  to-day  this  portion  of  God’s 
vineyard  so  flourishing  and  so  fruitful,  with  its  institutions  clear 
and  free  of  debt,  sufficient  to  care  for  every  class  and  condition, 
with  hundreds  of  new  churches,  convents,  and  schools  erected,  with 
the  seminary  thoroughly  equipped  and  enlarged,  with  a  strong  and 
virile  Catholic  Press,  with  an  educational  system  coordinated  and 
efficient,  with  Catholic  progress  along  all  lines  notably  advanced. 

All  this  brings  joy  to  my  heart  on  the  day  of  my  anniversary,  as  I 
review  the  history  of  my  Episcopate;  a  joy  in  which  I  know  the 
faithful  of  the  Diocese  participate.  In  the  years  that  lie  before  me 
I  will  with  God’s  help  give  the  best  that  is  in  me  to  carry  forward 
the  constructive  program  of  the  past,  in  order  that  the  future  may 
see  a  still  brighter  page  added  to  the  glorious  history  of  the  Diocese 
of  Boston.  May  God  bless  my  loyal  priests  and  faithful  generous 
people. 

SERMON  AT  MASS 
May  19,  1926 

I  have  in  my  mind  to-day  one  only  thought  and  in  my  heart  one 
only  sentiment  —  humble  gratitude  to  God  for  all  His  wonderful 
graces  and  benefits  during  the  past  twenty-five  years  — 

To  the  Holy  Father,  the  Bishop  of  Bishops,  my  profound  and 


ADDRESSES  57 

heartfelt  thanks  for  his  kindly  and  paternal  affection  and  constant 
interest  in  me  and  my  work  even  to  this  day  — 

To  my  beloved  brothers,  the  most  Eminent  Cardinals  who  have 
honored  me  with  their  precious  friendship  and  who  have  sent  me 
to-day  messages  of  fraternal  greeting  — 

To  the  Prelates  of  our  own  dear  land  who  have  manifested  on  so 
many  occasions  their  kindest  consideration  — 

To  my  dearly  beloved  Priests,  my  zealous  co-workers  in  this 
portion  of  Christ’s  vineyard,  the  proofs  of  whose  loyalty  and  love 
I  have  daily  received  — 

To  the  good  religious  who  so  valiantly  have  sustained  me  in  all 
my  labors  — 

To  the  faithful  men  and  women  of  this  Archdiocese  who  have 
listened  docilely  to  my  counsel  and  have  cooperated  in  every  plan 
for  the  welfare  of  the  Diocese  — 

To  the  dear  little  ones,  the  precious  lambs  of  the  flock  whom  I 
love  as  Christ  loved  them  — 

To  my  fellow-citizens  of  Massachusetts  and  America  of  every 
race  and  condition  who  have  shown  to  me  unfailing  kindness,  trust 
and  confidence,  and  who  have  applauded  and  encouraged  every 
effort  I  have  made  as  a  fellow-citizen  of  our  blessed  country  to 
further  its  best  and  highest  interests  — 

To  these  all,  after  God,  I  offer  to-day  my  deepest  and  warmest 
gratitude.  Each  and  all  of  them  by  kindly  indulgence  and  generous 
friendliness  have  helped  to  bring  me  through  dark  hours  and  many 
misgivings  and  shortcomings  to  this  day  of  complete  happiness. 

To  them  all  I  know  I  can  look  with  complete  confidence  for 
encouragement,  consolation  and  cooperation  in  the  work  yet  before 
me  to  do. 

God  bless  us  all  I 

ADDRESS  OF  MONSIGNOR  ROCHE 
May  19,  1926 

Your  Eminence:  — 

Priests  of  mature  age  and  extensive  experience,  chosen  as  the 
Senate  of  this  Diocese,  we,  your  consultors,  offer  on  this  joyous 


58  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 

occasion  to  you,  our  Archbishop  and  Cardinal,  our  united  tribute 
of  reverence  and  affection. 

As  we  look  back  through  the  vista  of  twenty-five  years  of  apos¬ 
tolic  service  that  you  have  given  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  it 
is  evident  that,  at  least  implicitly,  on  the  day  of  your  consecration, 
you  must  have  prayed  — 

“Take  my  life  and  let  it  be' 

Consecrated,  Lord,  to  Thee; 

Take  my  moments  and  my  days, 

Let  them  flow  in  ceaseless  praise; 

Take  my  lips  and  let  them  be. 

Filled  with  messages  from  Thee; 

Take  my  intellect  and  use, 

Every  power  as  Thou  shalt  choose  — 

Take  my  will  and  make  it  Thine,  it  shall  be  no  longer  mine; 

Take  my  heart,  it  is  Thine  own,  it  shall  be  Thy  royal  throne; 

Take  my  love,  my  Lord,  I  pour  at  Thy  feet  its  treasure  store; 

Take  myself  and  I  will  be,  ever  only  all  for  Thee.” 

In  our  official  capacity,  your  consultors  are  especially  fortunate 
to  give  testimony  that  Our  Lord  has  accepted  your  oblation,  and  in 
return  has  blessed  Your  Eminence,  your  works,  your  clergy  and 
your  Diocese. 

For  the  Consultors  — 

(Signed)  Ambrose  F.  Roche 

Senior  Consultor 

ADDRESS  OF  MONSIGNOR  PETERSON 
May  19,  1926 

Most  Eminent  Lord  Cardinal:  — 

On  this  blessed  anniversary  of  your  Episcopal  Consecration  we 
are  privileged  to  present  to  Your  Eminence  the  tribute  of  a  million 
devoted  children.  Peerless  and  unprecedented  is  their  gift,  for  it 
is  the  offering  of  a  Diocese  literally  on  its  knees.  It  is  the  tribute  of 
unanimous  heartfelt  prayer  of  loving  children  for  a  loved  and  loving 
father.  Not  in  corruptible  gold  or  silver,  not  in  ephemeral  plaudits, 
do  your  people  make  their  Jubilee  offering;  but  in  a  spiritual 
bouquet  of  prayers  and  good  works  done  in  your  behalf  which, 
touching  God’s  great  heart,  can  never  be  lost  or  offered  in  vain. 

It  is  the  most  precious  gift  of  your  loyally  devoted  Priests  made 


ADDRESSES 


59 


at  nearly  a  thousand  altars;  of  religious  in  their  choirs  or  at  con¬ 
secrated  labors;  of  contemplatives,  near  and  dear  to  God  in  their 
holy  cloisters;  of  seminarians  and  novices  in  their  days  of  generous 
oblation;  of  fathers  of  families  in  prayerful  respite  from  their  hours 
of  provident  toil;  of  mothers  prayerfully  ministering  in  the  sanctu¬ 
aries  of  many  thousand  homes;  of  youths  and  maidens  midst  hope¬ 
ful  visions  of  their  own  blessed  future;  of  children  in  the  schools, 
children  such  as  Jesus  loved  as  most  worthy  of  His  heavenly  king¬ 
dom;  of  infants  even,  whose  lisping  praise  the  Psalmist  sang. 

Together  before  their  parish  altars,  or  in  school  or  family  gather¬ 
ings,  or  in  the  quiet  of  their  chambers,  all,  for  the  past  three  months, 
have  been  often  face  to  face  with  God,  pouring  out  their  prayers  for 
Your  Eminence,  the  Bishop  and  shepherd  of  their  souls;  in  grati¬ 
tude  for  all  that  God  has  wrought  in  response  to  your  wise  and 
generous  efforts,  and  in  earnest  petition  that  He  would  multiply 
His  blessings  upon  you  in  the  years  that  are  to  come. 

Your  Eminence  refused  aught  from  them  but  this  offering,  this 
bouquet,  sweet  symbol  of  loving  remembrance.  Accept,  then,  these 
fairest  flowers  from  the  gardens  of  a  million  souls.  They  have  been 
woven  into  a  flowery  chain  of  charity,  whose  numberless  links  have 
bound  your  children  together  more  closely  than  ever  before  in  one 
common  sacred  purpose.  They  bind  them  to  you  in  strengthening 
bonds  of  affectionate  devotion,  and  they  will  bind  you  and  them 
forever  in  the  Sacred  Heart  of  the  Saviour. 

Your  Eminence:  —  In  your  behalf  your  entire  flock  has  been 
lovingly,  pleadingly  storming  Heaven.  Our  Blessed  Lord  will  be 
propitious  to  their  supplications.  With  His  seal  of  approval  upon 
your  Apostolic  successes,  echoed  so  paternally  by  His  Vicar,  He 
will  hear  and  heed  the  myriad  prayers  of  His  children,  and  yours. 
This  is  indeed  the  crowning  blessing  upon  Your  Eminence’s  silver 
years  as  Bishop  that  have  ended.  It  is  surely  the  earnest  of  much 
greater  blessings  and  richer  fruits  in  the  golden  years  which  began 
with  this  day’s  dawn. 


60  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


PRESENTATION  BY  MONSIGNOR  HABERLIN 
May  19,  1926 

Most  Eminent  Lord  Cardinal:  — 

Your  Eminence’s  clergy,  in  sentiments  of  heartfelt  devotion  and 
sincerely  loyal  accord,  rejoice  with  you  on  this  silver  anniversary  of 
your  Episcopal  Consecration.  Bound  closely  to  Your  Eminence  by 
ties  of  a  common  priesthood,  the  fullness  of  which  you  have  honored 
for  twenty-five  hallowed  years;  bound,  too,  by  the  sweet  yoke  of 
service  which  your  eminently  prudent  guidance  and  strong  en¬ 
couraging  rule  have  rendered  singularly  fruitful:  we  are  gratified 
and  honored  in  the  honors  which  are  being  showered  upon  our 
Cardinal  Archbishop  on  this  day  of  world-wide  acclaim. 

We  congratulate  Your  Eminence  on  your  quarter  century  of 
remarkable  Apostolic  achievement;  we  thank  God  with  you  for  the 
exceptional  gifts  of  mind  and  body,  heart  and  soul,  with  which  He 
has  richly  endowed  you,  and  for  His  energizing  graces  which  have 
made  possible  an  unusual  record  of  words  and  works  of  twenty-five 
crowded  years;  we  unite  in  prayers  and  every  good  wish  for  your 
continued  blessings  and  happiness  for  many  years  to  come. 

We  would  do  more.  We  would  give  to-day  to  Your  Eminence  the 
best  at  our  command.  But,  certain  that  nothing  could  better  please 
you  than  a  gift  for  your  heart’s  best  love,  your  own  Diocesan  Semi¬ 
nary,  we  present  to  Your  Eminence  as  our  Jubilee  heart-offering  the 
entire  cost  of  the  substantial  addition  to  the  Seminary  structure 
which  has  just  been  completed.  Joyfully  we  do  this  to  further  Your 
Eminence’s  purposes  to  make  the  Boston  Seminary  complete  in 
every  way.  It  will  now  enjoy  a  becoming  refectory,  true  to  the 
Church’s  best  traditions  of  stately  simplicity,  a  convent  for  the  re¬ 
ligious  who  are  to  exercise  domestic  care,  modern  and  ample  domes¬ 
tic  equipment,  and  additional  students’  rooms  to  meet  the  growing 
demands  of  your  Diocese  and  the  extraordinary  increase  of  voca¬ 
tions  which  has  blessed  Your  Eminence’s  reign. 

We  feel  that  by  no  better  token  could  our  hearts  go  out  to  yours 
on  this  day  of  your  Silver  Jubilee  as  Bishop.  For  our  hearts  are  one 
with  yours  in  all  that  you  have  done  for  the  welfare  of  the  Semi- 


ADDRESSES 


61 


nary,  the  great  heart  of  the  Diocese.  Our  gift  betokens  our  share  in 
your  consuming  desire  and  purpose  to  maintain  at  any  sacrifice  the 
noblest  priestly  standards  among  the  clergy  of  Boston.  To  this  end 
we  pledge  anew  our  love  and  loyalty  on  this  anniversary  day.  We 
trust  that  our  devotion  and  support  will  not  be  the  least  of  your 
Jubilee  blessings.  May  these  help  you  and  bless  you  for  many, 
many  years. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  CUNNINGHAM 
May  19,  1926 

Your  Eminence:  — 

We  are  honored  sons  to  be  chosen  to  felicitate  Your  Eminence, 
in  the  name  of  your  devoted  people,  on  reaching  this  anniversary. 

In  the  first  year  of  the  Century  and  the  glorious  reign  of  Leo 
XIII,  you  were  Rector  of  the  American  College  in  Rome  and  there 
given  the  Apostolic  Commission  to  govern  Portland. 

You  advanced  the  work  of  Bacon  and  Healy  in  Maine  where  the 
seed  of  the  Church  in  New  England  was  first  planted  and  where 
Rasle  was  martyred  and  Bapst  suffered. 

Envoy  of  the  Vatican  to  Japan  following  her  victorious  war  with 
Russia  —  on  your  return  to  Rome  to  report  the  success  of  your 
Mission  you  were  created  Archbishop  of  Constance  and  Coadjutor 
of  Boston,  to  govern  with  and  succeed  the  venerable  and  revered 
Williams. 

For  twenty  years  you  have  preserved  the  Faith  and  enlarged  and 
extended  the  influence  and  work  of  the  Church  in  our  midst. 

You  have  cherished  your  flock  and  the  faithful  have  increased  in 
numbers  and  devotion  under  your  wise  leadership  and  prudent 
care. 

Your  every  call  has  been  heeded  with  filial  and  generous  response 
and  Church,  school,  hospital  and  home  for  orphan  and  needy  have 
been  given  by  a  faithful  and  loyal  people. 

To-day  we  greet  and  pay  homage  to  our  beloved  Archbishop,  and 
Cardinal  of  the  Universal  Church,  and  pray  for  you  a  fullness  of 
years  to  behold  your  hopes  realized  and  your  work  completed. 

Henry  V.  Cunningham 


May  19, 1926 


62  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


ADDRESS  OF  HIS  EMINENCE  TO 
COUNCIL  AND  KNIGHTS 
May  19, 1926 

I  thank  the  Priests  of  the  Archdiocese  for  the  truly  royal  gift 
which  you  in  their  name  offer  me  and  the  Archdiocese,  as  a  me¬ 
morial  of  their  affection  and  loyalty  on  this  twenty-fifth  anniver¬ 
sary  of  my  Episcopal  Consecration. 

Nothing  they  might  offer  on  this  happy  occasion  could  possibly 
bring  greater  joy  to  my  heart. 

To  all  of  us,  prelates,  priests,  and  people,  the  Seminary  is  a  sacred 
and  precious  possession.  It  is  the  very  center  and  cradle  of  all 
ecclesiastical  life.  So  that  to  the  heart  of  the  priest  everything  con¬ 
nected  with  the  welfare  of  the  Seminary  quickly  and  vitally  ap¬ 
peals.  But  the  magnitude  of  this  gift  of  my  beloved  priests,  repre¬ 
senting  as  it  does  not  only  deep  devotion  but  evident  sacrifice, 
touches  me  to  the  quick  and  moves  me  to  say  to-day  what  all  my 
predecessors  have  said  —  “The  clergy  of  Boston  is  the  most 
generous-hearted  body  of  priests  in  the  whole  world.” 

Never  yet  has  any  great  purpose  been  presented  to  them  for 
their  cooperation  and  support  but  instantly  they  have  hastened  to 
give  of  their  best  to  the  work. 

The  Seminary  is  very  dear  to  me  as  it  is  to  you.  The  new  struc¬ 
ture  which  at  last  gives  us  ample  space  for  present  and  future  de¬ 
velopment  will  add  to  the  efficiency  of  the  whole  institution  and 
will  be  a  constant  reminder  to  all  within  its  sacred  walls  of  the 
splendid  generosity  of  the  priests  now  in  service  in  the  Archdiocese 
as  well  as  a  beautiful  public  recognition  of  my  Episcopal  Jubilee. 

God  will  certainly  not  fail  to  bless  all  those  who  have  cooperated 
in  doing  a  noble  work  for  His  Church,  and  I  for  my  part  will  never 
forget  their  great-heartedness  in  making  this  day  one  of  thanks¬ 
giving  to  them  and  to  God,  the  Giver  of  all  gifts. 

Your  noble  words  touching  my  labors  here  among  you  move  me 
deeply.  I  can  sum  it  all  up  in  a  single  sentence  —  We  have  worked 
together,  suffered  together,  rejoiced  together,  and  the  years  and  the 
labors  have  brought  us  into  a  union  of  mutual  love  and  reverence 
blessed  by  Almighty  God. 


ADDRESSES 


63 


You  have  not  been  ignorant  of  the  attitude  and  action  of  a 
few  outside  this  Archdiocese  aiming  to  create  disunion  and  dis¬ 
sension,  but  you  have  wisely  ignored  them,  and  by  a  closer  union 
to  me  and  to  one  another  have  rebuked  them  in  the  charity  of 
silence. 

That  is  the  Christian  way  of  contrasting  bigness  to  pettiness,  and 
that  is  the  way,  that  has  always  been  the  way,  of  Boston’s  prelates 
and  priests.  But  we  make  no  promise  that  that  silence  will  never  be 
broken  if  the  welfare  of  the  Archdiocese,  dearer  than  life  to  us  all, 
demands  plain  speech. 

And  so  to  you  and  to  all  the  priests  of  the  Archdiocese  I  give 
again  the  pledge  of  my  devotion  and  sincere  affection,  and  in  the 
name  of  our  Holy  Father  and  in  my  own  name  I  beg  Almighty  God 
to  bless  you  and  reward  you. 

Pius  XI  has  praised  and  blessed  our  work  of  twenty-five  years  of 
united  and  fruitful  labor.  That  puts  forever  the  seal  of  God’s 
powerful  approval  upon  it.  That  for  us  is  more  than  sufficient. 
That  and  that  alone  counts  in  the  balance  of  just  judgment.  Your 
kind  words  of  loyalty  serve  only  to  increase  the  value  of  the  Holy 
Father’s  message. 

To-day  I  ask  you  to  forget  me  —  my  joy  has  been  fulfilled  in 
your  glorious  union  at  the  altar  where  together  we  have  offered  up 
the  Holy  Sacrifice  in  thanksgiving  and  in  united  prayer,  and  in  the 
millions  of  Masses  and  Communions  offered  by  the  faithful  of  our 
Archdiocese  in  thanksgiving  to  God  for  all  His  blessings  to  me  and 
to  my  flock. 

This  sacred  spiritual  garland  —  its  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
Masses  said  and  offered,  these  millions  of  Communions  and  prayers 
—  the  fruit  of  a  united  devotion  all  over  the  Archdiocese  now 
offered  to  me  as  their  most  precious  gift,  is  now  and  forever  shall  be 
to  me  the  greatest  treasure,  the  highest  monument,  the  choicest 
memorial.  No  words  of  mine  could  express  my  gratitude  for  such 
tender  and  sacred  proofs  of  the  love  and  devotion  of  my  priests  and 
people. 

The  past  is  already  recorded.  Let  us  go  forward  with  hands 
joined  and  hearts  united  to  labor  still  more  valiantly,  still  more 


64  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


zealously,  still  more  unselfishly  for  God’s  eternal  glory  and  the 
glory  and  progress  of  His  Kingdom  on  Earth. 

To  you,  Sir  Knights,  who  to-day  represent  the  whole  lay-body  of 
the  Archdiocese  and  in  their  name  offer  me  words  of  consolation  and 
attachment,  I  return  my  thanks  heartfelt  and  sincere. 

Where  in  all  the  world  is  there  a  laity  more  strong  in  the  Faith, 
more  devoted  to  their  Church? 

All  the  world  knows  that  nowhere  else  is  there  more  activity  in 
good  works,  more  reverence  and  devotion  to  prelate  and  priest, 
more  vocations  to  the  priesthood  and  the  religious  state,  more  con¬ 
verts  to  the  Faith  than  here. 

To  you  and  to  every  man,  woman  and  child  I  return  for  all  their 
wonderful  demonstrations  of  devotion  and  affection  my  pledge  of 
affection  and  devotion;  and  upon  them  all  I  ask  Our  Heavenly 
Father  to  send  His  choicest  blessings  of  health,  happiness  and 
prosperity. 

And  so  to  all  the  clergy  and  people  of  the  Archdiocese,  who  have 
so  enthusiastically  observed  this  jubilee  in  the  way  of  faith  and 
love,  I  give  from  my  heart  my  affectionate  benediction. 


EDITORIALS 

From  the  Boston  American  —  Wednesday,  May  19 
The  Cardinal’s  Day 
Ad  Mullos  Annos 

The  event  which  is  celebrated  to-day  by  approximately  1,000,000 
American  Catholics  in  the  272  parishes  of  Eastern  Massachusetts  is 
of  interest  to  the  entire  community,  which  long  since  came  to 
appreciate  the  vigor,  the  clear-sightedness,  the  constructive  ability 
and  the  courageous  but  tactful  character  of  the  spiritual  leader  of 
a  diocese  rated  well  to  the  fore  amongst  all  the  dioceses  of  the 
world. 

From  scores  of  pulpits  will  be  told  the  marvelous  story  of  the 
growth  of  Cardinal  O’Connell’s  charge  in  the  25  years  since  he  re¬ 
turned  to  Boston  as  coadjutor  to  the  revered  Williams.  Of  new 


EDITORIALS 


65 


convents  there  are  20,  new  churches  130,  new  missions  128,  new 
schools  62.  Parish  schools  number  117,  teachers  1822,  pupils 
82,000.  A  fruitful  quarter  of  a  century,  in  a  thoroughly  organized 
diocese  where  priests  and  laymen  labor  earnestly  together  in  sup¬ 
port  of  a  great  leader’s  every  undertaking. 

Affable,  ingratiating,  neighborly,  His  Eminence  is  a  familiar 
figure  to  Bostonians.  There  is  no  mystery,  there  has  been  no 
magic,  about  his  achievements,  unless  it  be  the  mystery  and  the 
magic  of  great  zeal  combined  with  hard  work.  He  labors  diligently 
from  seven  o’clock  in  the  morning  until  far  into  the  night.  His  life 
is  not  without  great  cares,  greater  anxieties.  Each  day  brings  him 
new  difficulties,  new  problems. 

Inspiring  preacher,  eloquent  orator,  graceful  and  convincing 
writer,  accomplished  scholar,  tireless  organizer  and  gifted  leader  of 
men,  Cardinal  O’Connell  has  been  and  is  a  powerful  force  for 
righteousness  in  the  Commonwealth  of  his  citizenship  and  the 
Country  of  his  allegiance. 

Upon  the  occasion  of  the  25th  anniversary  of  his  consecration  to 
the  Episcopacy  the  vast  company  of  his  friends  and  fellow  citizens 
within  and  without  the  Commonwealth  extend  to  Cardinal  O’Con¬ 
nell  their  hearty  congratulations  and  best  wishes. 

From  the  Boston  Globe  —  Wednesday,  May  19 
The  Cardinal’s  Jubilee 

Few  public  figures  in  New  England  represent  such  a  rich  com¬ 
bination  of  ability  and  energies,  and  so  dramatic  a  life  story  as  His 
Eminence  William  Cardinal  O’Connell,  Primate  of  his  Church  in 
the  United  States  and  head  of  the  great  Archdiocese  of  Boston.  It 
is  this  rare  fusion  of  notable  qualities  which  lends  significance  to  the 
observance  of  his  jubilee  as  Bishop  to-day. 

Not  only  members  of  his  own  religious  faith,  but  many  of  differ¬ 
ing  creeds,  who  recognize  what  Cardinal  O’Connell  has  done  during 
the  generation  since  his  elevation  to  the  Bishopric  of  Portland 
twenty-five  years  ago  will  unite  to-day  in  tendering  him  their 
felicitations. 


66  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


He  is  a  scholar  of  no  mean  fiber,  a  close  student  of  many  branches 
of  science,  and  a  lover  of  music.  As  executive  and  administrator  his 
talents  were  recognized,  even  before  his  elevation  to  the  Cardinal- 
ate.  During  the  fruitful  years  of  his  headship  of  the  Boston  Arch¬ 
diocese  those  talents  have  been  yearly  more  and  more  in  evidence. 
Under  his  direction  New  England  Catholic  church  architecture  of 
yesterday  has  been  replaced  by  scores  of  singularly  beautiful  edi¬ 
fices,  and  buildings  for  social  and  educational  purposes  have  multi¬ 
plied.  His  achievements  represent  an  unflagging  energy  construc¬ 
tively  directed. 

From  the  Boston  Herald  —  Wednesday ,  May  19 
Cardinal  O’Connell’s  Silver  Anniversary 

The  large  Catholic  population  of  this  diocese  and  of  New  Eng¬ 
land  generally  will  experience  a  gratification  to-day  in  the  recollec¬ 
tion  that  it  is  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  consecration  of 
Cardinal  O’Connell  as  Bishop,  and  to  them  as  well  as  to  him  the 
non-Catholics  will  extend  felicitations  on  this  occasion.  Doubtless 
this  is  only  the  first  of  a  series  of  silver  anniversaries,  each  marking 
a  stage  in  the  Cardinal’s  advance,  all  of  which  his  large  and  in¬ 
creasing  body  of  supporters  will  delight  to  acclaim  in  appropriate 
ways,  occasions  that  the  newspapers,  representing  all  elements  of 
the  community,  will  take  pleasure  in  chronicling  as  a  basis  of  fitting 
congratulations. 

The  period  in  church  history  in  this  diocese  associated  with 
Cardinal  O’Connell’s  life  and  work  has  been  one  of  substantial 
growth  and  prosperity,  marked  by  the  spread  of  monumental  in¬ 
stitutions,  due  to  his  initiative  and  to  the  cooperation  of  a  zealous 
priesthood  and  of  an  ever-increasing  pious  and  self-sacrificing 
Catholic  population. 

From  the  Boston  Post  —  Wednesday,  May  19 
Cardinal  O’Connell 

Twenty-five  years  ago  to-day  the  youthful  Monsignor  O’Connell, 
the  brilliant  young  American  who  was  so  great  a  figure  in  Rome, 
was  consecrated  a  bishop. 


EDITORIALS 


67 


Those  who  knew  him  realized  he  was  destined  for  great  things  in 
the  church  and  in  the  world.  One  honor  after  another  came  to  him 
and  in  ten  years  he  was  a  prince  of  the  church.  No  American  and 
very  few  other  men  have  risen  with  such  rapid  strides  to  this 
exalted  position. 

Blessed  with  the  heritage  of  vigor  and  power  of  body  and  mind, 
an  American  education  finished  in  that  most  arduous  and  compell¬ 
ing  efficient  school  at  Rome,  rare  personal  charm  and  all  the  graces 
and  skill  of  the  trained  diplomatic  scholar,  the  piety  and  serenity  of 
faith,  he  laid  the  foundations  for  a  splendidly  useful  career. 

It  was  inevitable  that,  in  that  remarkable  organization,  the 
Catholic  Church,  where  ability  and  fidelity  alone  count  in  the 
awards  of  honor,  he  should  rise  to  the  heights. 

Boston  has  good  reason  to  be  proud  of  Cardinal  O’Connell’s  dis¬ 
tinguished  career.  Here  he  has  chosen  to  live  his  useful  life  putting 
aside  one  great  honor  after  another  which  would  have  taken  him 
away.  Few  persons  know  the  sacrifices  he  has  made. 

Those  who  know  him  intimately  can  tell  of  his  modesty  and  his 
gracious  broadmindedness.  The  most  delightful  of  companions 
with  his  wide  range  of  knowledge  —  art,  music,  literature,  history 
—  all  are  compassed  in  that  keen  mind  of  his. 

Far  too  little  is  known  of  Cardinal  O’Connell’s  personality.  One 
may  read  his  public  addresses,  the  challenging  vigor  with  which  he 
discusses  problems  of  religion  and  state,  and  yet  fail  to  catch  an 
entire  glimpse  of  the  man.  His  power  and  his  strength  of  character 
are  plainly  visible,  but  underneath  all  that  is  the  simplicity,  the 
tender  heart  and  the  altogether  lovable  nature  of  a  saintly  man. 

Boston  can  rejoice  in  his  presence  among  us  with  the  earnest  hope 
that  he  may  be  spared  for  many  years  to  be  our  counsellor,  our 
neighbor  and  our  friend. 

From  the  Boston  Telegram  —  Wednesday,  May  19 
William  Cardinal  O’Connell 

Prince  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  William  Cardinal 
O’Connell  is  to-day  observing  his  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  his 
consecration  as  a  Bishop. 


68  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


1  One  million  members  of  his  flock  are  rejoicing.  Roston  is  proud 
to  honor  its  foremost  citizen. 

Seldom  in  the  annals  of  human  destiny  is  a  man  spared  to  realize 
the  honors  that  have  come  to  this  dearly  beloved  leader.  Twenty- 
five  years  ago  Monsignor  O’Connell  was  raised  to  the  Bishopric. 
Great  things  were  predicted  for  him  by  those  who  knew  him  best. 

To-day  he  stands  out  as  the  dean  of  Roman  Catholic  princes  of 
the  church.  Under  his  guidance  his  church  has  grown  in  numbers 
and  in  influence.  As  keen  in  civic  matters  as  in  religious  affairs,  he 
has  become  a  prominent  figure  in  the  national  life  of  the  country. 
Seldom  does  he  speak  his  mind  on  great  national  issues.  But  when 
he  does,  there  are  few,  indeed,  who  do  not  heed  him. 

Probably  there  are  few  men  in  America  to-day  better  versed  in 
history,  in  art,  in  music,  than  Cardinal  O’Connell.  Few  there  are 
who  can  measure  up  to  his  standard  of  the  English  language.  His 
writings  show  the  vigor  of  the  man,  the  depths  of  the  scholar. 

Boston  surely  has  reason  to  be  proud  that,  among  its  citizens  is 
listed  William  Cardinal  O’Connell.  The  Roman  Catholics  of 
Boston  are  to  be  congratulated  on  their  shepherd. 

And,  as  the  years  roll  on,  in  unending  number,  it  is  the  prayer  of 
every  Catholic  that  their  shepherd  will  be  spared  to  them  to  the  end 
that  his  teachings  which  they  have  enjoyed  may  be  given  by  him 
to  their  children  and  their  children’s  children. 

From  the  Boston  Transcript  —  Wednesday ,  May  19 
The  Cardinal’s  Silver  Jubilee 

The  surprises  of  Cardinal  O’Connell’s  life  explain  its  substance. 
He  was  the  young  curate  of  a  church  in  Chambers  Street,  Boston. 
But,  of  a  sudden,  he  was  called  to  be  president  of  the  American 
College  in  Rome.  He  was  the  Bishop  of  a  small  diocese  in  New 
England.  And  yet,  against  countless  prelates  of  Europe  schooled 
from  generations  in  churchly  matters  of  state  and  in  diplomatic 
traditions  surrounding  the  Vatican,  he  was  sent  from  Portland  in 
Maine  to  Tokio  in  Japan  on  a  mission  of  the  highest  importance  to 
every  fundamental  relation  between  the  Holy  See  and  the  empire. 


s 


EDITORIALS 


69 


Surprises  of  this  sort,  in  the  venerable  life  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  never  rest  upon  guesses.  However  unexpected  observers 
may  find  them,  they  depend,  a  hundred  times  more  often  than  not, 
upon  full-grounded  reason.  Versed  through  centuries  in  the  study 
of  men,  their  characters  and  their  service,  the  Pontiffs  of  Rome 
discern  well  the  promise  and  the  substance  of  greatness. 

That  both  were  present,  the  reality  as  well  as  the  symbol,  in  the 
priest  whose  Episcopal  Consecration  is  celebrated  in  silver  jubilee 
to-day,  each  phase  of  his  advancing  life-work  gave  proof.  His 
rectorate  of  the  American  College  in  Rome,  above  mentioned,  is  a 
good  instance.  Though  he  had  labored  but  ten  years  from  1885  to 
1895  in  the  priesthood  in  Medford  and  Boston  when  he  was  called, 
at  thirty-seven,  to  the  leadership  of  the  college  in  Rome  which  had 
so  influenced  his  earlier  life  as  a  student,  immediately  the  institu¬ 
tion  grew  in  vitality,  and  in  breadth  and  depth  of  competence, 
under  his  hand.  The  number  of  students  increased  by  half;  the 
physical  plant  was  made  newly  adequate;  the  curriculum  was  ex¬ 
tended  and  strengthened.  There,  under  the  eye  of  His  Holiness 
Pope  Leo  XIII,  the  capacities  now  known  as  typical  of  His  Emi¬ 
nence,  William  Cardinal  O’Connell,  were  demonstrated.  So  that  no 
one  who  reads  with  care  the  notable  biography  of  the  Cardinal  pub¬ 
lished  this  week  by  The  Pilot  finds  any  mystery  left  in  the  decision 
reached  in  1901  to  elevate  the  young  rector  to  a  Bishopric  in  his 
native  America.  And  no  one  who  studies  the  course  of  his  first 
years  as  Bishop,  in  the  diocese  of  Portland,  will  have  much  wonder 
left  that  he  should  have  been  the  first  American  prelate  ever  sent 
upon  such  a  mission  as  Cardinal  O’Connell’s  mission  to  Tokio. 

Indeed,  it  seems  probable  from  existing  records  of  William 
O’Connell’s  earliest  youth  in  the  city  of  Lowell  that  a  penetrating 
judge  could  have  descried  much  of  all  the  distinction  that  was  to 
come.  Certainly  he  could  have  done  so  had  he  known  not  only  the 
earnestness  and  dignity  with  which  the  boy  William  bore  himself 
among  his  first  schoolfellows,  but  also  the  details  of  his  career  as  a 
student  at  St.  Charles  College  in  Maryland,  in  Boston  College,  and 
at  the  American  College  in  Rome.  An  exceptional  force  of  mind,  an 
exceptional  determination  to  use  every  ounce  of  that  force  for  the 


70  REMINISCENCES  OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS 


mastery  of  each  task  set  before  him,  an  exceptional  organization  of 
will  and  of  purpose  in  devotion  to  His  Maker  and  to  the  Church  he 
had  resolved  to  serve,  consistently  were  revealed  in  his  conduct. 
And  consistently  in  his  career  they  have  led  him  to  exceptional  ex¬ 
cellence  of  capacity  and  of  service,  and  to  the  exceptional  honors 
which  these  deserve.  Boston  greets  His  Eminence  with  large  respect 
to-day,  and  in  the  rejoicing  of  his  silver  jubilee  entertains  good  hope 
of  a  golden  anniversary  yet  to  come. 

.  \ 

From  the  Boston  Traveler  —  Wednesday,  May  19 
Cardinal’s  Silver  Jubilee 

Looking  back  over  the  quarter  century  since  he  first  became  a 
Bishop  in  the  Catholic  Church,  William,  Cardinal  O’Connell  to-day 
must  find  many  causes  for  gratification. 

His  career  has  brought  him  continually  increasing  opportunities 
for  leadership  in  both  the  temporal  and  the  spiritual  affairs  of  the 
Church.  He  has  conceived  his  responsibilities  broadly;  has  handled 
the  duties  of  his  high  calling  in  a  masterly  way. 

Nearly  fifteen  years  have  elapsed  since  he  became  Cardinal  — 
the  first  to  bear  that  title  in  New  England.  His  occupancy  of  that 
place  in  the  hierarchy  of  the  Church  has  elevated  the  importance 
and  enhanced  the  influence  of  the  American  branch  of  the  vast  re¬ 
ligious  organization  whose  capital  is  the  Vatican. 

Increase  of  power  has  not  rendered  Cardinal  O’Connell  un¬ 
approachable,  remote,  unwilling  to  concern  himself  with  ordinary 
problems  and  relationships.  He  is  a  human,  kindly  man;  a  citizen 
whose  allegiance  to  flag  and  country  has  often  been  shown;  a 
wonderful  friend  to  those  privileged  to  share  his  friendship. 

The  Traveler  joins  with  a  multitude  of  well-wishers  in  con¬ 
gratulating  the  Cardinal  upon  his  long  record  of  distinguished 
ministry  and  upon  the  affection  and  esteem  which  are  felt  for  him 
by  unnumbered  fellow  citizens.  May  he  be  spared  for  many  more 
years  of  usefulness. 


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